


Gutter Punk

by makeupourminds



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Anxiety Attacks, Attempt at Humor, Body Worship, Comfort/Angst, Drug Use, Dubious Consent, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Gavin Reed Being Less of an Asshole, Gavin and Tina are homeless, Heavy Angst, Homelessness, Homophobia, Humor, Light Dom/sub, M/M, Mildly Dubious Consent, Near Death, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Praise Kink, Red Ice (Detroit: Become Human), Smut, Soft Upgraded Connor | RK900, Tina Chen & Gavin Reed Friendship, Top Upgraded Connor | RK900, and punk as hell, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-05-19
Packaged: 2019-10-13 06:53:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 28,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17483258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/makeupourminds/pseuds/makeupourminds
Summary: “I fear that serving time wouldn't do much in the means of reform for those two,” Nines sighed, taking another sidelong glance at the pair. He could only see the male from the angle he was standing at, but he was now sitting cross legged on the floor of the cell directly in front of the see through wall.“I stopped giving a shit about 'reforming’ those little shits after the fifth time I brought ‘em in. There's no hope for those types, they're either gonna end up in a cell or iced out in some fuckin’ alley,” The officer seethed, his words dripping venom as thick as honey.





	1. Some Kind Of Luck

“Don't fucking touch her! Let go of me you god damn plastic pig!” Nines sighed as he recognized the screams of the precinct parasites once again being herded in by one of the beat cops. They'd been coming in on the regular for about a year by then, always arrested on small charges that would land them in the hold for a night before they were let go again. Every one of the cops bringing them in knew it wasn't an effective system, but putting actual charges on them would only do so much. You didn't need to work as a cop for long to know their type: young, scrappy little shits who would only turn up for a court date once Hell froze over.

There was two of them, both looking rather young, early twenties at most. A guy and a girl, both covered in grime and blood, their old and slightly too big leather jackets looking a bit more scuffed every time they were brought in.

The seemingly younger of the two, the male, was an average height brunette that was, at that very moment, threatening to 'bite the fuckin' plastic fingers off that God damn hand’ of the beat cop android desperately trying to just get him into one of the holding cells. He had a piercing in his right eyebrow, three cartilage piercings on the outer shell of his left ear, and bags under his eyes like he hadn't slept right in years. He was scruffy like he hadn't shaved in a long time but couldn't grow hair past a five o'clock shadow, and had a look in his storm grey eyes that reminded Nines of a dog with rabies backed into a corner.

The presumably elder of the two, the girl, had straight black shoulder length hair covered by a black beanie. She wore a piercing in her septum as well as one in her right brow, mirroring that of her male friend. She wore all black, the only pop of color on her entire ensemble being the mustard yellow bandana hanging around her neck, and the large patch on the back of her jacket depicting a praying mantis. Now that Nines took a closer look at the delinquent duo, he realized the male had the same shade of bandana tied tightly around his bicep.

The two had finally managed to be separated into holding cells directly across from one another, loudly conversing back and forth to make sure the other was alright. The young man especially seemed protective of his female counterpart, threatening any individual that even came close to laying a hand on her. Every beat cop in the precinct had quickly learned that putting the two within eyesight of each other was the only way to keep from screaming in protest all night. They couldn't be kept in the same cell, and if one of them, particularly the male, wasn't able to see the other, they'd holler and start a riot until the issue was fixed.

Nines’ LED blinked yellow as he stood to roam over to the break room, partially to get a better look at the two and partly to speak to the android that had just brought them in. He strolled up to the officer who was leaning heavily against the round table with his head hanging low and LED cycling gold, as if he were deeply exhausted in a way that was beyond even a deviant android.

“What are they in for this time?” He inquired curiously, watching the android look up at him as if startled before settling down after a moment.

“Oh, hey Nines,” He greeted, rolling his shoulder to loosen any synthetic muscles, “The boy got caught tryna shoplift a gas station and the chick started pickin’ a fight with the clerk. She says it was self defense, but the CCTV says otherwise. Owner's thinking about pressing charges, so maybe we'll finally have something that'll stick these punks in jail once and for all,” He sneered over at the holding cells, grimacing when the boy held up his middle finger in response.

“I fear that serving time wouldn't do much in the means of reform for those two,” Nines sighed, taking another sidelong glance at the pair. He could only see the male from the angle he was standing at, but he was now sitting cross legged on the floor of the cell directly in front of the see through wall.

“I stopped giving a shit about 'reforming’ those little shits after the fifth time I brought ‘em in. There's no hope for those types, they're either gonna end up in a cell or iced out in some fuckin’ alley,” The officer seethed, his words dripping venom as thick as honey. The blunt words brought a sense of uncomfortability to Nines, causing him to simply walk back to his desk. He knew the officer was likely right, but the harsh uncaring nature of the words didn't sit right with him.

Nines shook his head as he refocused on the terminal in front of him. It was nearing 11 o'clock at night and he still had plenty of paperwork to finish before he could retire for the night. There were far more important things to focus on than the cold words of his coworker. He let out a mildly irritated huff before turning all his attention towards the work in front of him, hoping he'd be able to leave as soon as possible.

It was around 1 in morning when Nines finally completed the leftover case reports and interrogation papers that he'd been putting off all day. As an android, he was incapable of sleeping or eating, so going home on time wasn't too much of a concern of his. However, it had been a few days since he'd been able to enter stasis, and his systems were notably worse for wear upon that fact. He stood from his desk stiffly, briefly scanning his surroundings and realizing he was the last to leave. All the night cops were out on their daily beats and the Lieutenant and Connor had gone home hours prior, along with Captain Fowler.

As he began to leave, Nines was drawn out of his thoughts by a bought of whispers coming from the holding cells. As he stepped closer, the conversation between the two miscreants that had been dragged in a few hours earlier became clearer.

“When was the last time you ate, Gav?” The female asked tiredly, yawning shortly after she forced the words out.

“Woulda been today if that fucker'd just let me take that soup,” Her friend, 'Gav’ as he'd been dubbed, complained in response.

“God, that guy creeped me out. He coulda just told me to leave without gettin’ all touchy feely,” She recalled angrily in response, “It's okay, that plastic I was telling you about before, the one that works at the Domino's near us, has been hitting on me a lot lately. Once we get outta here maybe I could convince him to get us some leftover cheesy bread or something,” Gav simply laughed in response, though Nines didn't find their predicament nearly as humorous.

He didn't know much about the pair, he'd simply seen them come in often and had never even caught so much as their names, but from the sounds of it the two were deeply struggling. He thought for a moment, glancing around the precinct for a moment before his eyes landed on the abandoned break room. He smiled slightly to himself as an idea popped into his head.

After a few minutes of rummaging around in the cabinets of the break room and heating up what he'd managed to find, Nines emerged from the break room with a steaming hot Cup of Noodle in each hand, two plastic forks to accompany them. He sidled over to the holding cells behind Fowler's office, noting how the two humans he was walking towards were now staring at him hungrily, before came to a stop in front of the male's- Gav's- cell.

“Move back from the wall,” He ordered softly, shifting the cups in his hands to allow himself a free hand.

“Fuck you, Robo-cop,” The young man hissed, glare seering holes into Nines’ skull. He sighed heavily, returning Gav's glare with a tired gaze.

“Look, if you don't want the food I can simply throw it away, otherwise I suggest you move back from the wall,” He stated a bit more authoritatively that time, hoping to make it clear that his generosity would only last so long. The young man stared at him disbelievingly for a moment before acquiescing, silently scooting back from where he was seated on the floor.  

Nines took the opportunity to press his skin-bare hand to the panel next to the door, immediately stepping into the cell when the door slid open. He walked over to where Gav sat, silently holding out one of the cups and a fork to him. Now that Nines was able to see the young man in better lighting, he was  able to make out the faintest hint of dusty brown freckles on and around the boy's nose. The kid stared at him for a long moment, as if waiting for him to pull the food away with a resounding 'sike!’ before he finally moved to take the cup out of Nines’ hands.

“It's not much,” Nines explained as he made his way over to the woman's cell, “But you two seem famished. Besides, I happen to know that it gets rather cold in these cells, and the warmth of the food might help,” He held out the last cup and fork to the young woman staring up at him suspiciously  as she slowly took the cup from him.

“Thanks,” She intoned quietly, watching Gav hurriedly tuck into the food provided, “Why?” She asked after a brief moment. Nines shrugged, a small habit he'd picked up from his far more human-like predecessor, as he made his way back into the hallway.

“No one deserves to go hungry,” He stated simply, before turning on his heel and exiting the precinct for the night. There was far more he'd like to have asked the two; What were their names? Why couldn't they seem to stay out of trouble? Why was eating seemingly unattainable to them? But he forced the thoughts down in favor of getting the Hell back to his apartment. It had been a long day, and stasis never sounded as enticing as it did then.

* * *

It was another two weeks before the pair was dragged in again, and Nines couldn't help but feel as though it was the longest time between arrests in a while for the two. His previous encounter with the delinquents had caused him to stock up on non-perishable food in the cabinets of the break room. He had no use for much of his paycheck, and through the week he'd felt increasingly bad about the fact that the two seemed to go days on end without eating, so he figured he'd keep food in the break room for when they inevitably popped up again. He stocked up on Cup of Noodle, various types of soups, microwavable Mac and cheese cups, dried fruits, trail mix, and even some TV dinners, as well as stocking the fridge with water bottles.

This time, however, both of them walked in relatively quietly, sticking as close to one another as the officers escorting them would allow. Gav wasn't shouting and threatening the officers, and the girl wasn't yelling at him to calm down. They simply silently trudged to their cells, at nearly midnight on a Tuesday, and accepted their consequences. They were placed in the holding cells, once again directly across from each other, and left alone.

Nines walked over to one of the officers that had brought them in, a human officer this time. She looked to be on her way out of the station when Nines caught up to her, tapping her on the shoulder. She turned, looking up at him as if concerned she'd done something wrong.

“What are they in for tonight? They're usually so rowdy,” He inquired worriedly, realizing he was probably far too concerned about two petty criminals.

“Bar fight. The kid almost cracked someone's skull open, says the bartender was feeling up his little girlfriend over there. She's in for property damage cause she smashed a few glasses. Bartender already said he ain't gonna press charges, which just let's me know he was definitely doing something wrong. We just gotta hold em here for the night and they're free to go in the morning,” She explained casually, hands on her tactical belt and her hips jutted out. Nines frowned, looking over at the girl who was sitting quietly on the floor of the cell with her back pressed against the glass wall.

“It's a wonder they've never had charges pressed against them with how often they end up here,” Nines thought out loud, folding his hands behind his back, “At least they've got some kind of luck following them,” The female officer snickered at that.

“Yeah, that's about where their fortune ends. I gotta get back on the beat, see you later, Nines,” She turned, throwing a polite wave in his direction as she sauntered out of the bullpen. Once again this left Nines with the realization that he was the last person in the station. He sighed and wandered over to the cells, looking down at the two. It seemed as though neither of them had noticed him yet, both sitting on the floor with their backs to the walls despite there being metal cots in the cells for them to sit on. He knocked on the wall of the girl's cell, causing her to startle and turn around to eye him warily.

“When was the last time you ate?” He asked softly, recalling her same question the last time they'd been there.

“Bout five days,” She shrugged as if it was normal, “Why?” Again came her cynical squinting. Nines hummed, turning to the boy across from him. He tapped on the glass to get his attention, crossing his arms as the kid whipped his head around with a glare.

“If I let you out of this cell for a moment are you going to cause trouble?” He asked with a raised brow, knowing this one tended to be the instigator of the two. The kid merely sneered up at him, remaining quiet but backing away from the cell door, “I'll have to put you two back in the cells before I leave tonight, but there's no one else here, and I don't quite see the point of keeping you two caged up like animals” He explained as he pressed his hand to the panel of the cell, stepping back once the door was open. He gave the boy space to come out as he turned around to the girl's cell, repeating the action for her.

Once both of them hesitantly stepped into the hallway, huddling close to one another and wrapping their arms around themselves protectively, Nines turned, beckoning them along.

“Follow me,” He directed, walking over to the break room of the precinct again. He walked to the back of the break room where he'd put all of the food he'd purchased, opening the cabinet and stepping back to let the two choose for themselves what they wanted, “Pick what you want and I'll make it for you. Take some for later, too, it's incredibly unhealthy to go so many days without eating,” The two humans looked at each other excitedly before moving forward and picking out what interested them. The girl picked out a cup of microwave Mac and cheese and the boy decided on a can of vegetable soup, and both of them stuffed their pockets with various snacks and smaller packages of food to stow away for later consumption. Nines fetched two water bottles from the fridge, handing one to each of them. As Nines began heating up their food of choice, he heard them shuffling around, likely making their way to the small round table in the break room.

Nines turned around as the microwave spun, leaning against the counter and crossing one ankle over the other, his LED blinking yellow. Now that he took a moment to look over the pair, he realized they were both bleeding, though from rather small cuts on their faces. The boy had a split lip and a cut through the brow without the piercing, and the girl had a small cut on her cheekbone.

“What are your names?” He could easily scan both of them to figure it out, but he figured if he was to build any kind of rapport with the two, that likely wasn't the wisest choice at first.

“Tina,” The girl spoke cautiously, looking over expectantly at her friend. He stayed quiet, moving closer to her and casting his gaze down at the table begrudgingly, “This is Gavin,” She answered for him when it was clear he wasn't going to. Nines took the opportunity to scan them then, knowing that asking them for their last names would sound too cop-like.

They showed up as Tina Chen and Gavin Reed, though neither of them had as many criminal charges to their names as was anticipated. They each had a few charges, petty theft or underage drinking and sucu, but not nearly as many as would make sense considering their near constant nights spent at the precinct. Tina was newly 19, about 6 months older than the 18 year old Gavin. They were wearing the same outfits they'd been wearing two weeks prior, all black with only the yellow bandanas providing color to the ensembles, though Tina's was now tied around her right thigh instead of hanging from her neck.

“I am RK900, though most just call me Nines,” He introduced, trying to convey warmth but feeling as though he'd come off stiff and mechanical. The two stared back at him for a moment, looking to each other when the microwave beeped behind him. Nines turned and got the Mac and cheese, grabbing a plastic fork and bringing it over to the table Tina and Gavin were sitting at.

“Why ain't you dressed like the other androids?” Gavin asked gruffly after a moment, eyes raking up and down the android's form.

“I'm not a police officer,” Nines retorted simply, “I'm a Detective,” Tina quirked a brow at that, leaning against her forearms on the table.

“Aren't you the deviant hunter? The one that freed all the androids during the revolution?” Nines stared at her for a moment, unable to decipher her feelings toward her perception of him.

“You're thinking of my predecessor, Connor. I was freed after the revolution, though I was also originally intended for tracking deviant androids,” He clarified, LED briefly blinking yellow at the uncomfortable reminder of who and what he was built to be.

“The difference between them is obvious, Tina,” Gavin mocked as Nines turned around to start making his soup, “That one was a bonafide twink, this one's a pure top,” This caused Tina to laugh, though Nines was thoroughly confused by the terms. 

“Nah, I think the other one was more of a twunk than a true twink,” The two bickered playfully back and forth as Nines thought about what to do with them. For whatever reason, he suddenly felt responsible for the troublemakers, and it felt wrong to let them continue down this path unbothered. Both of them were incredibly young, Gavin just barely qualifying as an adult, and they were already throwing their lives down the gutter.

He shook his head as Gavin's soup finished cooking, pouring it into a bowl and bringing it over to him with a spoon. Tina was already nearly done with her mac and cheese, and as the teen reached out to take the bowl from Nines, the android realized that the boy had a large cut on his palm. Nines frowned, grabbing Gavin's wrist and turning it around to inspect the cut.

“How did that happen?” He queried as Gavin tugged his arm out of the android's hand as if he'd been scalded by the touch.

“Cut it open on one of the glasses Tina broke,” He muttered, cradling the hand against his chest. Nines hummed, beginning to walk away from the break room.

“Keep eating, I'll be back in a just a second,” He called back as he took long strides back to his desk, opening the middle drawer when he got to it. He pulled out the small med kit he kept there, quickly checking it's contents before returning to the break room. He set down the med kit on the table in front of Gavin, silently reaching out hand in a mute request for permission. Gavin stared at him inquisitively before placing his wrist in Nines’ hand, watching the android carefully.

After a brief scan, he determined that the cut wasn't too deep, and would simply require a bit of cleaning and a bandage. He set to work gently cleaning the wound with a wet paper towel, apologizing when he poured a bit of peroxide on the wound and Gavin hissed painfully.

“Why have you been so nice to us?” Tina inquired quietly after a moment, watching as Nines began to wrap Gavin's hand, “We're just some shitty kids who can't stop getting arrested, why do you care if we eat or not?” The unadulterated cynicism in her tone saddened Nines a bit.  _ What have these two been through that so thoroughly jaded their perspective on others?  _ He thought to himself, looking between the two for a moment.

“You said it yourself,” He sighed as he finished wrapping Gavin's hand, “You're just kids. You're not hardened murderers, and there is no reason to treat you as such. Now, I don't want you to use this as an incentive to get into trouble whenever you need food, but if you wind up here again, I'll hopefully have something to give you,” He patted Gavin's hand as he spoke, signalling he was done bandaging his injury. Tina smiled at him, and Nines swore he saw the phantom of a smile dusting at Gavin's lips as well.

“You're not too bad, tin can,” Tina grinned, reaching out to jokingly punch Nines in the arm. He responded with his best attempt at a smile, moving away from the table when he noticed Gavin was done with his soup. Nines took the bowl and placed it into the sink, pulling up his internal clock and realizing it was nearly 1:30 in the morning. He turned to the two, clasping his hands behind his back.

“I have to return home now, so unfortunately, you two are going to have to go back to the cells,” He informed, walking out of the break room and towards the holding cells, the soft patter of feet following him, “The bartender has informed us that he won't be pressing charges, so you two are free to go in the morning. I do hope not to see you here again,” He threw a glance back at the two as he opened Gavin's cell, watching the teen trudge back to the cell.

“Yeah, yeah, we get it, stop being shitheads, thanks Dad,” Tina babbled on the way back into hers, a small smile on her face letting Nines know she was joking.

“Oh, and don't let the other officers see that you have food on you. They like to confiscate anything they find on detainees. Goodnight, you two,” With that bit of advice Nines turned around, finally making his way out of the station for the night.


	2. Great Timing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Are you sure you're alright? You're not in pain at all?” He asked as he began carrying Gavin back to his car, glancing sideways at Tina to watch her for any signs of limping or other injury. Perhaps she really was coming out of this virtually unharmed.
> 
> “I'm fine, you've got great timing tin can. Guess the guy caught on that I was just taking advantage of his crush on me for food scraps,” She chuckled, the tone conveying less mirth and more bitter apathy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for minor violence, minor gore, implied attempted sexual assault, minor homophobia

Surprisingly, it seemed the two took Nines’ advice. It was going on about a month since he'd seen them, and he was beginning to be able to complete his work without constantly worrying when they'd come back in. He couldn't help but feel his generosity might have had something to do with the continuous streak.

That was about where the bliss of the month ended, however. Nines was caught up on a rather harrowing double homicide case, the type that seemed cut and dry at first glance but only became more tangled the more information that was unraveled. He was spending increasingly long nights at the precinct, his days stretching into 20 hour territory. Arrive at 8 A.M, go home around 4 A.M and hope that a few hours of stasis would suffice.

That night he'd stayed til about 5 A.M, following up on a dead end lead that only served to distract him from furthering the case. He ran a hand down his face, letting out a frustrated groan as he read his internal clock. He shut his terminal off, the objective in the corner of his vision informing him he had roughly 6 hours left before his body went into forced stasis.

After making sure everything was in order for when he'd lumber back in the next day, Nines trudged out to his car in the parking lot, sitting tiredly in the driver's seat for a moment before he was ready to drive. If there was anything he'd learned throughout the course of the month, it was that short but frequent bursts of stasis couldn't hold a candle to 8 hour deep stasis every few days. His systems felt gunked up and slow, his movements less smooth than regular and his processing power and ability to focus more than halved.

He ordered the car home and sat back as it pulled out of the precinct parking lot, the only sound in the car being the crackling of his dispatch radio every once in a while. After about 5 minutes of driving, bleary eyed and absent minded as the car glided on autopilot, a voice came through his radio.

“Reports of yelling and a possible 261A in progress behind the Domino's Pizza off of Griswold Street, repeat, there are reports of yelling and a possible 261A in progress behind the Domino's Pizza off of Griswold Street,” The dispatcher detailed, causing Nines to snap out of his low-power haze. At first he thought nothing of it, knowing a beat cop would likely respond within a matter of minutes. Then he realized he was a mere 3 minutes away from said Domino's, and he remembered Tina's words the first time he'd interacted with them.

_ “That plastic I was telling you about before, the one that works at the Domino's near us, has been hitting on me a lot lately.” _

Nines slammed his foot on the break, pulling his car out of autopilot and quickly turning onto Griswold. His LED cycled yellow as he responded.

“This is RK900, responding to the situation on Griswold Street,” He hurried out, LED cycling red as he pulled up in front of the Domino's, practically jumping out of the car and immediately hearing the sounds of a struggle. He pulled his gun out of his holster, quickly and silently approaching the alleyway where the disturbance was reported.

“Get  _ off  _ of me! I'll fucking kill you!” A familiar voice yelled, the sounds of gravel shuffling filling Nines’ audio processors as he silently pressed closer.

“I'll teach you to keep that pretty little mouth shut, you fuckin' dyke,” A male voice hissed back quietly, panic evident in his voice. Nines rounded the corner, gun pointed and finger on the trigger as the sight of Tina on the ground underneath an AV500 model android came into view.

“Detroit Police! Off the girl!” He barked, stepping toward the perp and noticing Gavin sitting with his back against a wall, vitals indicating he was passed out. The AV500 startled, immediately jumping off of Tina and stumbling to his feet, hands in the air as the switchblade he'd been holding clattered to the ground. Nines approached, gun pointing at the other android until he was directly in front of him, tugging the red head's arms behind his back and pushing himself against the wall to cuff him.

“Get off me you pig,” The perp struggled uselessly against the unforgiving brick as Nines cuffed him, taking a little too much pleasure in vengefully pressing the other android's face further into wall as he began to pat him down. He rattled off the Miranda Rights as he discarded a second knife tucked into the redhead's waist band, jerking him away from the wall when he was finished. He quickly walked the perp back to his car, shoving him a little too roughly into the backseat of his car before all but jogging back to make sure Tina and Gavin were alright.

When he turned the corner, Tina was on one knee in front of Gavin, cradling his head to her chest and trying to get him to wake up. He approached slowly, being sure to make his footsteps audible to give her plenty of time to register his presence. It was rare that Nines was the one to go out on these sorts of calls as a homicide detective, but he'd taken the seminar on how to comfort an assault victim out of pure boredom. He was thankful for the knowledge as Tina acknowledged him briefly, immediately turning her gaze back to her unconscious counterpart.

“Are you alright?” He asked softly, kneeling beside her and staying a generous amount of space away from her as to assure she didn't feel threatened. She didn't look up at him, but the worry clouding her dark brown eyes as her brows knit together was plain as day even from the slightly obscured angel from which he could see her face. Now that Gavin's face was more visible, Nines could see a large gash running across the bridge of his nose and down his cheek, though the depth lessened as the wound continued. A splotchy dark purple bruise was beginning to take shape underneath his right eye, his mousy brown hair stuck to his sweaty forehead.

“He tried to help and that bastard pulled a knife,” Was her bitter reply as she protectively hugged her friend closer. Gavin stirred minutely, leaning into Tina as his face scrunched for only a millisecond, the expression gone with the wind before Nines could really make anything of it.

“May I?” He asked as he moved closer to the pair, holding his arms out, “I'm going to scan his vitals and assess his injuries,” He elaborated when Tina eyed him warily. After a second of hesitation, she gently shifted, allowing Nines to take Gavin into his arms. He scanned, reading vitals and looking for any signs of a broken nose or a concussion and gauging whether or not the laceration would require stitches. After a few amber cycles of his LED and a couple feather light touches to the teen's nose, he blinked, looking back at Tina.

“It seems the cut on his face is the only serious injury he sustained, though it appears to be deep enough to warrant stitches,” He explained after his examination, carefully handing Gavin back to Tina as she frowned.

“We don't have insurance, there's no way we could afford to go to a hospital,” She sighed, running her hands through Gavin's hair, though whether it was to comfort him or herself was anybody's guess. Nines thought for a moment, calling the closest beat cop to come escort the perp to the station as he contemplated what to do. He stood, wiping dirt off his pants and looking down at Tina.

“Stay here for a moment, I've called another officer to come escort that android to the station for me. When they arrive I'll have a better idea of what to do,” He told her, turning to head back to his car when she nodded at him. In truth, he'd already made up his mind. Once his car was free of that scum android, he was going to lie Gavin down in the back of his car and take him and Tina back to the station. He would bandage Gavin's nose with the medical tape in his emergency med kit, and take a statement from Tina on what happened. When he was done, he would personally drive the two home to assure nothing of this sort would happen again.

The beat cop pulled up a few minutes later, transferring the snarling android to her car as Nines explained the situation. She glanced over into the alley, a scowl taking hold of her features when she realized who it was that had been attacked.

“God, those guys? You sure they didn't attack the guy first?” She snickered as she closed the door to the back of her car, smirking as she leaned against it. Nines simply turned away with a curt nod, finding her attempt at humor rather distasteful. He listened to the sound of tires on gravel as the officer drove away, making his way back to Tina. He watched her for a moment, taking the time to analyze her and if she'd suffered any sever injuries. It seemed that Gavin's brave intervention had spared his friend any significant wounds, as the only danages showing up on the girl's body we're small cuts and scrapes. He stepped forward and knelt next to her once again, delicately nudging her away so he could scoop Gavin into his arms.

“I’m going to take you back to the station to get your statement. As for Gavin, I have some medical supplies that should suffice,” He expounded as he stood, carrying the unconscious boy in his arms bridal style. Tina shakily rose to her feet, her bandana loosely hanging around her neck revealing the small cut on the column of her throat where the knife had been pressed.

“Sounds good,” She affirmed meekly, the lack if rosyness in her cheeks making her look pale and almost sickly.

“Are you sure you're alright? You're not in pain at all?” He asked as he began carrying Gavin back to his car, glancing sideways at Tina to watch her for any signs of limping or other injury. Perhaps she really was coming out of this virtually unharmed.

“I'm fine, you've got great timing tin can. Guess the guy caught on that I was just taking advantage of his crush on me for food scraps,” She chuckled, the tone conveying less mirth and more bitter apathy.

Nines opened the back door to his car, ducking to lay Gavin across the seats. The teen's brows furrowed for a brief moment before his features settled, leaving him looking the most peaceful Nines had ever seen him. He paused to wipe a bit of blood off the boy's face as Tina climbed into the passenger seat, looking back at her friend to assure he'd be safe. He backed away and shut the door to the back seats, climbing once again into the driver's side and interfacing with the vehicle to set it's destination back to the precinct.

They traveled with little to no incident, Tina thoughtfully staring out the window at the passing street lamps as the sky took on a deep purple hue. It was nearing 6 A.M and the sun would soon peek out above the seemingly endless skyscrapers to brush the city with light. The forecast for the day was rain, and a lot of it, so it was safe to assume there'd be no radiating warmth from golden light filtering through grey clouds that day.

Gavin stirred in the backseat as the car pulled into the precinct parking lot once again, a small pained groan falling from his lips as he began to wake. Tina turned her seat around to face him, immediately running one hand through his hair and using the other to cup his uninjured cheek, softly cooing to him in an attempt to calm him. Thick lashes fluttered against tanned and bloodstained cheeks as he slowly opened his eyes, hand raising to rest atop Tina's as he stared up at her hazily.

“T? What happened? Are you okay?” He slurred tiredly, moving to sit up in the chair and half-heartedly protesting when Tina gently coaxed him back down.

“Try not to move too fast Gav, I'm alright, we're okay,” She murmured tenderly as the car came to a halt, quickly glancing over at Nines, “We're safe, don't worry.”

“Where are we?” He asked after a moment, looking around through glassy eyes at his surroundings of the back seat. He cursed when his brows furrowed and the expression pulled on his wound, letting out a quiet hiss at the pain. Tina grabbed at Gavin's wrist as the boy attempted to raise a hand to his face, apparently newly aware of the cut causing him pain.

“Police station,” Tina replied simply, placing a steadying hand on his back as he sat up slower that time. Gavin groaned loudly, throwing his head back a little dramatically to emphasize his distaste.

“Again?” He whined, “I didn't do shit!” Tina giggled, shaking her head and pulling her hands away from the other human.

“No, you idiot, we're not under arrest,” She laughed fondly, “Nines is gonna take my statement and try n’ get you patched up,” Gavin quirked a brow at the mention of the android.

“Nines..?” It was apparently then that Gavin thought to take in his surroundings beyond just Tina, grey green eyes landing on the bot in the driver's seat, “Oh, Nines. Right,” Nines tried not to take any offense to the fact that the human briefly seemed to have forgotten him, instead choosing to chalk it up to the teen's still foggy mental state.

“I intend to help clean up that cut you've got and take your statements,” The android finally spoke, propping open the car door as he turned the vehicle off.

Nines stepped out of the car and turned to open the back door, standing far enough away to offer the still frazzled teen some space to climb out of the car on his own. He stumbled out like a baby deer on stilts and stubbornly refused the hand Nines offered him. After a few moments he stood on his own, albeit placing a hand on the roof of the car for support. Tina slid out of the car and wandered over to the side where her friend stood, looping an arm around his waist at the same time he pulled her closer to drape an arm over her shoulder. Gavin leaned on her heavily as the trio paced into the building, the usually boisterous teens timidly trailing a few steps behind Nines as they had the night he'd allowed them out of their holding cells.

There was no one in the bullpen as the regular shift switch wouldn't happen for another hour and a half, meaning all the POs were still out and the detectives and the Lieutenant wouldn't be in unless there was a call that required their attention. Nines lead the teens to his desk where Gavin dropped into his chair and Tina leaned against the desk, arms folded over her chest as she protectively stood incredibly close to him. Nines took the chairs from Officer Miller's and Officer Person's desks, offering one to Tina before gracefully sitting in the other and moving til he was sat across from the wounded human.

Nines gently took Gavin's chin in his hand, tilting his head up a bit more to allow for better view of the cut. He hummed, sitting back from the boy to pull the med kit out from his desk. He clicked it open and brought out the small cloth residing inside, holding it out to Tina.

“Could you dampen this with warm water, please?” He asked politely, nodding his gratitude at her when she took it from his hand and sauntered off to the break room to do as he'd requested. He turned back to the medkit, setting out the medical tape and the peroxide he'd need, “How much would you say the cut hurts on a scale of 1-10?”

“The physical pain of getting cut with a knife or the emotional pain?” Gavin snarked back with a roll of his eyes, “‘Bout an 8,” He mumbled afterwards. Tina returned and plopped the warm damp cloth in the android's hand, sinking down in her chair and kicking her feet up to rest on the desk.

“Let me know if this hurts at all, I'm just going to wash the blood off,” Nines informed, gripping the teen's chin once again. He leaned forward in his chair and began gently wiping the dried blood off Gavin's face, revealing the true severity of the cut. The gash was the widest across his nose but thinned out as it moved down his left cheek. If Nines’ reconstructions were to be believed, the attacker was right handed and had taken a swipe at Gavin with the knife, barely slitting his cheek but heavily catching on his nose. The bruise underneath Gavin's eye wasn't as bad as he'd initially thought it to be, the blood previously covering his face had likely just made it appear worse than it was.

Nines realized he was definitely a little too deep into thought when he heard Gavin hiss in pain and felt the boy tug at his sleeve. He muttered an apology and sat back, proud if his handy work once the teen's face was clean of blood. As he began pouring a bit of peroxide on the cloth, he looked up to address Gavin. 

“This is going to hurt but it'll help keep the cut from getting infected. Tell me about yourself,” He instructed, knowing that the distraction would help ease the pain.

“What? Oh- uh, there isn't really much to know I guess,” He began as Nines pressed the cloth to his nose, face portraying only the slightest hint of pain, “My favorite color is green, but not like neon green, that shit hurts my eyes, more like a deep forest green. Uhm, I'm definitely more of a cat person but I like dogs too I guess,” He continued to babble while Nines gently dabbed the cloth along the laceration, seemingly unaware of the fact he was still tightly gripping the android's sleeve, “I've known Tina for three years, we met in high school before we both ended up-”

“I'm finished,” Nines interrupted, leaning away and choosing not to comment on the red creeping onto Gavin's cheeks when he realized he'd been holding onto Nines and pulled his hand back. The android turned away once more to grab the medical tape he'd previously retrieved, setting it on his lap as me moved closer to the boy sitting across from him, “This won't help as much as stitches would, but I suppose it'll have to do,” He yielded to Tina's earlier request to avoid the hospital despite how much he knew it'd help. He was only equipped with basic medical programs, after all.

He made quick work of patching Gavin up, placing small strips of gauze over the worst parts of the wound and simply taping the less severe areas.

“Thanks again, terminator,” Tina spoke from behind him, her sincerity evident despite the slightly mocking nickname. He finished his makeshift bandaging and turned towards her with a mute smile as he began to pack away his medical supplies.

“Of course, Tina.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I took kinda long on this update and it's a little short. I had a whole two or three more scenes planned out for this chapter but it would have ended up being 7k plus with the way it's coming out so far, but I do have a good amount of it already completed so the next update should come soon! Hope you enjoy!!


	3. Street Dreams

It didn't take long to take the pair's statements on the assault and write up the paperwork on the report, and it gave the two time to pick through the rest of whatever food was in the cabinets of the breakroom. Apparently Tina had turned down the android, who's name was revealed to be Cade, when he'd requested to take her on a date, and when he'd insisted, Gavin had become defensive and stepped in. The android took a swing at him and it soon turned into a full fledged fight, knife striking Gavin followed by a punch to his jaw and he was out like a light. Tina had tried to defend herself but he knocked her knife out of her hand, which happened to be the second knife found on the assailant, and he'd ended up on top of her trying to grope underneath her shirt.

The teens easily decided not to press charges, though Nines had tried to convince them otherwise. In Tina's words, they didn't have “the money or the brain cells to sit in court all fuckin’ day,” and that was as far as the discussion had gone up.

Currently Tina had abandoned her chair and was sat with her legs criss cross on top of Nines’ desk, a half asleep Gavin's head resting in her lap. It made the android's smile how close the two seemed to be, how unfalteringly comfortable they were in each other's presence. He could tell that their relationship wasn't romantic in the slightest, but it was abundantly clear the extent of their care for one another.

“Are you two ready to go?” Nines asked gently, hating to break the calm moment but simultaneously all too aware of the clock in his vision informing him he had a mere three hours before he'd be forced into deep stasis. He'd already informed Fowler he would be taking the day off and had been cleared, he simply needed to escort the pair home before he could commence the blissful void that was stasis.

“Go where?” Tina asked curiously as she ran a hand through Gavin's hair and he pressed his cheek further into her thighs. It seemed she played with his hair quite frequently, though he was certainly not complaining one bit, and it seemed to calm both of them equally.

“I aim to personally escort the two of you home. Now, if you would just inform me of your address, I can-”

“Nines,” Tina interjected with a sad smile, “We don't have an address, we're homeless,” Her voice conveyed the slightest sense of humor at the fact that the  _ detective _ android had failed to pick up on that fact, but the sad glint in her eyes and the way the corners of her smirk faltered betrayed her lighthearted tone.

Ah.

In hindsight he was an absolute fool for not piecing it together sooner. The long spans of time between meals, the fact that they were always wearing the same clothes, the fact that they were always looking unkempt and dirty. He could kick himself at how blind he'd been, he'd known they were struggling but it seemed unfathomable to him that such young adults could already be so out of luck as to end up homeless. His LED spun gold rapidly as he contemplated what to do, stubbornly unwilling to place them back in harm's way and allow them back onto the streets.

He twiddled his thumbs in his lap thoughtfully, looking up at the two. Gavin seemed a little more awake, though still looking a little out of it. The android took one look at his bandaged face and pretty lash-curtained eyes and came to a conclusion. 

“Then you will stay with me,” He stated assuredly,  trying not to think about the impulsivity of that decision.

“Wait- What?” Tina exclaimed, starling Gavin who let out a dissatisfied groan as he fully tuned into the conversation, “Nines, you don't- we're not your responsibility,” She argued as the boy perked up.

“As an officer of the law I would feel awfully negligent to allow you back onto the streets. I have a completely unoccupied guest room in my apartment which you could inhabit. Besides, perhaps if you were to live with me you'd end up here less often,” He countered, trying to present the logic behind his suggestion as if it hadn't been a split second solution.

“Wait wait wait, hold up robocop, we barely know you!” Gavin joined in on the conversation, “Why would we trust you?”

“Considering every interaction we've had has consisted of me taking care of you in some capacity, I do not understand the assumption that I might cause harm,” Nines rebutted, “In any case, if unfamiliarity is your concern, I would be happy to answer any questions you may have,” He couldn't quite understand his own determination to take the teens under his roof, but he'd already taken the leap, he might as well fall as gracefully as possible.

The two exchanged wary looks, seemingly sharing the hesitant sentiment between them. He knew this must be a strange proposal from someone they'd only had a few encounters with, but he figured he had shown through his every action that he was someone to be trusted. He was simply a kind soul willing to offer his extra space to two diamond in the rough punks in need.

“What's your favorite color?” Gavin asked, taking him up on his offer for a Q&A session.

“White,” He replied smoothly.

“Cats or dogs?” Tina asked this time.

“Cats, though I do quite enjoy my predecessor's Saint Bernard,” The two seemed pleased with this answer.

“Favorite genre of music?” Gavin again.

“Would it be predictable to say I rather enjoy classical?” They snickered at that.

“Definitely,” Tina giggled, “Favorite movie?”

“Having only been alive for less than 6 months, I must admit I have not had time to indulge in much film,” He informed thoughtfully. His job certainly took up most of his time, and what little free time he did have he spent with Lieutenant Anderson and Connor. He'd simply failed to find a time to sit down and enjoy a good movie or two.

“You've never seen a movie?” Gavin blurted incredulously, “Oh Jesus Christ we're gonna have to fix that,” He sighed, “Uh… favorite art style?”

“I am always a fan of minimalism in general, though I do quite enjoy cubism in painting specifically,” He leaned forward and rested his elbow on his thigh, setting his chin in his hand as he observed the two. Hank had once told him that all the black turtlenecks made him look like a ‘stuck up hipster art critic,’ so he'd done his due diligence and spent a few hours filling his processors with art knowledge. He'd been in search of a hobby at the time, and painting had briefly caught his attention.

“God you're so formulaic, tell me something I couldn't easily guess,” Tina groaned, though she seemed more relaxed than she had before. They both did, and the sight made Nines’ chest feel warm.

“I quite enjoy collecting knives,” He declared, hoping that would suffice as this particular question was beginning to stump him, “I only have a few so far, but I assume since I was created to be more soldier-like than my predecessor that my knowledge on weaponry simply evolved through my deviancy,” He clarified with a small shrug, the action feeling just a bit too human to him.

“Uh-uh, coulda guessed that, gimme somethin’ else,” She demanded.

“I do not have many hobbies,” He conceded thoughtfully, “Though in my brief time alive I have found that origami relaxes me, and I like to believe I'm quite good at it,” He watched their eyes widen before Gavin barked out a laugh.

“You're telling me that your terminator lookin’ ass liked to do  _ origami  _ in your spare time? That's so good holy shit,” He managed between bursts of laughter. Nines knew the teens didn't mean any harm and that it was simply jest. After all, he could see the humor in an android specifically built for war and intimidation enjoying something as mundane as origami.

“Before I began working with the DPD I was often very bored at home and I tried many things to occupy my time. Origami seemed to be about the only thing, beside reading, that stuck,” He elaborated as the teens calmed down. Gavin nodded as he took in the information, though a smirk still played at his lips.

“When'd you deviate?” Tina inquired with a slight tilt to her head.

“After the revolution. Connor was attempting to wake me up, but considering my software was more firmly protected than his had been, it wasn't as easy as he'd thought. We fought quite intensely, though he managed to interface with me long enough to break down my firewall. However, if you ask some of my coworkers I'm sure they'd doubt my being deviant at all,” He added bitterly, “I was not installed with nearly as good a social program as Connor, therefore leaving me with what my Lieutenant calls 'Resting Bitch Face’,” He gave a small smile as the teens in front of him snorted once again at that.

“I mean, he's not  _ wrong _ ,” Gavin snickered, letting out a yelp of ‘ _ hey!’ _ when Tina elbowed him.

“You look like a rat with rabies Gav, you can't say much,” She cackled as she avoided the hand he attempted to swat her with. Nines watched them, wary of how close it was getting to the shift change but happy that the two were having fun.

“I hate to interrupt, but my colleagues will be coming back into the station soon. If you're not going to take me up on my offer, I can surely put you up in a motel for a while, but either way, we should leave now,” He interjected once they'd calmed down a bit. They looked at each other again, though the exchange was far briefer this time, before looking back at him and simultaneously nodding.

“Are you sure you'd be okay with taking us in?” Tina asked, excitement behind her tone laced with caution.

“I do not have use for most of my paycheck, and as I stated before, I have room to spare. I don't see why I wouldn't at least offer,” And maybe he was leaving out the fact that his apartment got quite lonely some days, but he chose not to think about that.

“Alright then,” Tina chirped as she hopped down from the desk, “Looks like you've got yourself two new roommates, tin can,” She grinned as she shook his hand.

Gavin stood behind her, playing with the hem of his shirt with his head turned down. It did little to hide the small smile ghosting his lips.

* * *

The three sat in Nines’ car once again, though this time all of them fully conscious, with Tina and Gavin sitting in the back seat. They'd argued for so long over who ‘called shotgun’ first that Nines, completely baffled by the phrase in the first place, had resolved the situation by suggesting both if them sit in the back.

The android draped his arms over the steering wheel, beginning to make a list of all the things he'd need to buy to sustain human life in his apartment on a long term basis. The only human he'd ever hosted was Hank, so aside from the leftover take out boxes and the fully furnished living and guest rooms, there wasn't much in his apartment at all. Luckily, in every room of the flat there were the foundations of something that could be salvaged into a decent human living space.

In the kitchen there was a rather large fridge, a stove, a microwave, and a dishwasher, along with smaller devices to make cooking easier in case Connor insisted Hank eat something real for once, such as a blender and toaster and various pots, pans, and other dishes. The living room was decorated with all gray furniture, a large sofa directly in front of the television with a smaller chair to the side and a glass coffee table between the television and sofa, as well as a small side table with a lamp between the two seating areas. Both bedrooms in the house contained beds, dressers, nightstands beside the beds and a spacious closet. The rooms were identical, save for the fact that Nines had treated himself to the room with a balcony.

His apartment had the skeletons of what it would take to harbor authentic life, he just needed to add the finishing touches.

Unfortunately, the finishing touches for the two homeless teens would entail far more than for the average flat mate.

“We're going to have to stop by the supermarket first. You two need new, well, everything, and I need to pick up food and toiletries,” He explained as he routed the car to the nearest superstore, tiredly pushing the ever ticking countdown out if his vision. He leaned back with heavy eyelids, hoping to reserve his energy on the way there. It was a short drive to the store, and an even shorter drive home once they'd completed their transaction, but he tried to remind himself how sweet the pure blankness of stasis would be as soon as it was awarded to him. The teens in the back seemed to notice his bone deep exhaustion and let him be until the car pulled into the supermarket parking lot.

“Hey tincan, we're here,” Gavin nudged him abrasively, elbow digging into the android's plasteel ribs. He heaved a sigh and exited the car, quickly scanning for the closest shopping cart.

“Alright,” He began as he fetched the cart and began walking inside, jittery teens at his heels, “Surely this will be the most fun for you two on this trip, as we're going to the clothing section first,” He smiled slightly at the excited gasp Tina inhaled, somehow knowing without looking that Gavin was at least smiling.

He steered the cart toward the part of the store containing clothing, stopping and turning to the two slightly bloodied and mud caked teens. He'd allow them to keep their leather jackets and possibly even the bandanas if they so desired, but the rest would have to go. There was no saving the torn beyond recognition jeans and the soiled t-shirts.

“Before I let you loose, I'll lay down the guidelines, so to speak. For now, how about each of you grab 8 shirts, 3 pairs of jeans, 2 pairs of shoes, a jacket, a twelve pack of underwear, and two sets of sleeping clothes. Tina, make sure to grab a few bras, I'll leave that to you. I'll buy you more clothes later on if needed, does that sound fair?” He explained, looking between the two young adults for any signs he was being too restrictive. He only found grins and twin glints in brown and green eyes.

“You're seriously gonna give us that much?” Tina squealed happily, “God I could hug you!” The RK chuckled, motioning to the cart he'd acquired.

“I'll meet the two of you back here in an hour, while I go and gather food. We'll move on to toiletries together,” The pair nodded eagerly in response, already looking around wildly in search of clothes they'd enjoy.

Meanwhile, Nines went in search of another cart to carry the food he was about to collect. He'd need to stock up on snack foods the two could consume when he wasn't home, easy to make meals for nights he worked late, and plenty of fruits, vegetables and meats to make healthy meals when he could cook for the two. He also grabbed a large pack of bottled water, having heard Hank complain about the Detroit tap enough to understand the two likely didn't hold many positive feelings toward it either. He grabbed all sorts of pantry sort of snacks, before grabbing eggs, steaks, ground beef, cheese, milk, juice, sugar, one (1) packet of cookies against his better judgement, cheese, bread, butter, and an assortment of fruits of vegetables, as well as many, many more items he thought the teens would enjoy.

When all was said and done his cart was full of food, and a little more than an hour had passed since he'd left the two. He silently cursed himself for not keeping a closer eye on the time as he headed back to the clothing area. When he arrived he was met with a cart full of clothing items and a beaming Tina babbling to Gavin about a cute shirt she'd found, holding a white and black horizontally striped long sleeve, the word 'honey’ written in bold yellow outlined with black across the chest.

“Usually supermarket clothes are ass, I can't believe how cute this actually is,” She exclaimed, draping it over her arm as Gavin began tugging at another shirt in her possession.

“Really T? Red flannel? Jesus, could you be anymore of a stereotypical Les?” That earned him a playful punch to the arm as Tina laid the rest of her clothing choices in the cart, seemingly only then realizing Nines’ presence.

“Oh, hey Nines! Right on time, we just finished up,” She grinned, eyes not so subtly raking over the food in his cart with a hungry spark.

“Did you try everything on to assure the fit?” The android asked as he looked over the pile of clothes in the cart, knowing they couldn't have possibly tried on every item in such a short span of time but hoping they'd taken a moment to try at least a few items.

“Not everything, but damn close to it,” Gavin muttered, eyes continuing to fall back to one shirt in particular, a solid black graphic tee boasting the white silhouette of a syringe on the breast pocket. The teen smiled, pointing to it, “That one's my favorite,” He claimed proudly. Nines simply nodded with a small smile, watching wearily as the clock in his vision informed him he had less than an hour and a half to retrieve the rest of the items and return home before he'd be forced into stasis.

“If you two are satisfied, we should get a move on, time is of the essence,” The bot stated as he turned, heading toward the aisles containing toiletries. He allowed the two to pick out whichever scents of body wash, deodorant, and cologne/perfume pleased them most before he took the reigns again, quickly gathering the rest of what the two would need. Hand soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, Band-Aids, wash rags, conditioner and shampoo, face wash, towels, the works. The android figured since he was already spending so much he might as well spoil the two just a little bit.

By the end of their shopping spree the group had accumulated almost $2,000 worth of items, two carts full of grocery bags to help haul the massive loads out to the car. Tina had nearly cried when she'd seen the total, squeezing Gavin's hand as he asked over and over if Nines was sure he was willing to spend that much on two ‘street rats’, as Gavin had so eloquently put it.

It had taken all three of them to haul all the bags into the car and subsequently into Nines’ apartment, the two teens heaving in exhaustion when they finally collapsed all they held onto the counter in the kitchen.

“God this place is nice,” Tina muttered as she finally took some time to survey her surroundings. Gavin snorted.

“More like boring,” He snickered, raising his hands in defence when Tina elbowed him in the side, “Hey, all I'm sayin’ is that you can definitely tell only a robot lives here.”

“Not anymore,” Nines concluded with as sincere a smile as he could muster, folding his hands behind his back, “You two take time to clean yourselves up and make yourselves at home. The bedroom on the right is yours to share, so split that however you see fit. When you are through the shower place your dirty clothes in the basket near the shower, I'll be throwing out everything except for your jackets,” Before he could continue speaking, Gavin cut him off.

“And the bandanas. You have to keep the bandanas,” He interjected determinedly.

“Of course,” Nines nodded agreeably, “We'll talk more in the morning about any rules that need to be established, but for now, enjoy your new home. Try not to dive into the food too gratuitously, but do go ahead and make yourself a meal. Now if you'll excuse me, I must enter stasis now for some repairs and diagnostics, I'll talk with you in 12 hours, though I'd hope you two would be sound asleep by then,” Considering it was now a few minutes from 11 A.M, the android's could only hope the two wouldn't stay up too late, though something told him that hope was misplaced.

With one last smile and farewell, Nines padded off to his room, quickly stripping of his jacket, shoes, and jeans before gracelessly clambering between his sheets. He entered stasis with a smile on his lips and 3 minutes to spare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof sorry this took a fat minute but hey! Plot!! I hope y'all enjoy, the second half of this isn't edited whatsoever so please forgive any egregious spelling errors, it's three am lmao


	4. No Place Like Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof this is a big boy with a lot of dialogue, enjoy

“Do you think he like… wants something from us?” Gavin asked quietly, sitting on the - _ his? _ \- bed as he watched Tina begin folding her new clothes into the dresser. He sat hugging his knees to his chest protectively, savoring the blissful feeling of his soft and mud free hair brushing against his forehead.

Neither of them had been able to take a genuine, undisturbed shower in months ever since the gym they'd been sneaking into found out about them and started keeping a rent-a-cop around at night. It felt heavenly when Tina finally finished her shower and Gavin got to take his turn standing under the stream of hot water, taking his sweet time to scrub off every particle of dirt caked on his face. He'd nearly forgotten the feeling of slipping on fresh, new clothes after a nice long shower. Nines had bought a shaver for Gavin, and when he was spotless and clean shaven, he almost didn't recognize himself. There had to be a catch to all of this, right?

“I don't think so? I dunno, he seems really nice. Maybe we just finally hit jackpot, y'know? Don't look a gift horse in the eyes, or whatever,” Tina waved dismissively, folding the last shirt and slipping it into the drawer. They'd settled that Gavin would get the closet and Tina would take the dresser, and both were more than fine sharing the bed.

“Wait-  _ Tina! _ ” Gavin exclaimed, unfolding his legs and sitting forward suddenly, “ _ What if we're his sugar babies?  _ Oh my God is that how this works?? I don't wanna be a sugar baby, oh fu-” Tina bursted out laughing, plopping down onto the bed next to him and slinging her arm around her friend's shoulders.

“Gav, I really don't think that's how this works hun,” She reassured, bumping shoulders with him playfully. 

“Then how  _ does _ it work?” He questioned, unwavering in his anxiety.

“Well, I mean, I don't  _ actually  _ know but like, I'm pretty sure you have to have a contract? I only saw Fifty Shades of Gray once and I fell asleep halfway through,” She recounted thoughtfully, grinning when Gavin snorted in response.

“Okay, but if he's into feet stuff, not it,” Gavin announced as he put a finger to the tip of his nose, a lopsided smirk showing one if his canines.

“Aw come on! You know I hate feet!” Tina whined, shoving her friend to the side. He laughed,  flopping onto his back on the soft mattress as Tina continued, “Seriously though, if he expects any kinda sugar baby shit he's gonna be real disappointed when he finds out I like pu-”

“I mean I guess he's kinda hot?” Gavin interrupted, looking for any barely-there patterns he could trace in the ceiling as he thought out loud.

“You mean tall dark and flawless? Yeah, he's definitely your type,” T snickered in response, laying back beside him.

“I guess like… I mean I'm not saying I  _ want _ to be his sugar baby but like, if it would keep us housed and fed..” Was he seriously considering being a fucking robot's bitch?  _ Jesus Christ what has my life come to? _ He groaned internally.

“What time is it, anyway? It's been like 20 years since he went to sleep, I feel like he should be up soon,” Tina chimed in, looking around the room for any indication as to the time of day. The sun had gone down a few hours prior, leaving their room in complete darkness save for the one lamp they'd turned on. They'd spent the day since Nines went to sleep -or whatever ‘stasis’ was anyway- getting used to the house. Putting all the food away so Nines wouldn't have to when he woke up, organizing the bathroom and all the toiletries the way they wanted, watching trash television for hours on end- oh how they'd missed shitty reality TV. They also spent an egregious amount of time showering and cleaning up, but hey, who could blame them? Months without a shower changes a person.

“Uhh, clock on the nightstand says 10:54,” Gavin read off, turning to his friend on the bed, “Are we sure this is a good idea, T? Like, living here and all. We don't know Nines that well, what if he's some huge creep?” 

“I don't know, man, I just trust him. You were passed out when this all went down, but after he stopped Cade, he was being so careful with me. Never got too close, kept checking to make sure I was okay, and he was so gentle with you Gav. Plus he's a cop, there's gotta be some morality to him, right?” She quirked an eyebrow with a slight smirk, trying her best to put Gavin's worries to rest. Unfortunately, his anxiety was as much of an insomniac as he was.

“Yeah, or he's a power hungry pervert who's gonna get our guard down and then murder us,” He spat bitterly, knowing he was blowing this out of proportion but feeling justified in his mistrust of the android.

“Come on, now you're just being overdramatic,” She laughed right as a knock sounded at their bedroom door. With a reassuring glance, Tina got up to pad over to the door, opening it as Gavin curled up into his original position once more, “Hey Nines, glad you're finally up from your coma,” She grinned up at the android towering in front of her.

“Hello, I apologise for 'sleeping’ for so long, though I can assure you I was not in any sort of coma,” Nines greeted politely, hands folded behind his back as he looked past Tina towards Gavin, trying his best to lend a smile in the boys direction. He was still notably awful at outwardly emoting, but he tried his best when it came to the two teens.

Tina looked much the same when she was all clean, though her hair did look much healthier already, and the dim light in the hallway accented her dark honey eyes. The android had to admit, Gavin was quite the looker now that he wasn't covered in dirt and bleeding. Though, he couldn't help but think that, while Gavin still appeared very handsome clean shaven, that his previous stubble had certainly accented his jawline better.

Gavin was wearing a pullover hoodie with a black torso and dark grey arms and hood, one that was far too big on him and subsequently covered most of his hands. He'd insisted he wanted it that way when Nines had protested at the store. Because of how the boy was sitting, Nines couldn't tell if he was wearing the pair of gym shorts he'd bought to sleep in or if he was simply in his boxers. Tina was dressed in one of the sleeping sets she'd picked out, a maroon tank top with  _ romantic _ written in white cursive in the left corner, plain maroon pants to match.

Now that Tina wasn't wearing her leather jacket Nines could see the stylistically drawn moth tattoo on her left forearm right beneath the crook of her elbow, a small upside down crescent moon directly underneath it. That was also when he noticed the red ink tattoo on her left ring finger between her first and second knuckle: six simple lines wrapped around her finger. On the side of her right wrist a fully colored sprig of lavender resided, a simple tattoo with no harsh black edges, just the green of the stem and the various shades of purple for the petals. He looked over her shoulder to Gavin once more to see if he had any visible tattoos, vision zooming in on the teen's left hand where Nines noted the same red ink tattoo on his finger that Tina had.

Nines’ LED flicked yellow for a moment when he saw the water soaked gauze covering Gavin's nose.  _ I'll have to redress it soon _ , he thought as he resumed the conversation, hoping he hadn't been silent too long,  “You both look very nice, I hope you two have had time to settle in.”

“Thanks, terminator! I don't know about Gav but I'm all set, what about you Tom cat?” Tina turned to her friend, giving him a pointed look when he simply muttered in response. She rolled her eyes, turning back to Nines and mouthing something along the lines of 'he's just being a bitch.’

“Well, if you two wouldn't mind joining me in the living room, we could discuss the terms of your stay here,” He posited, moving out of the doorway to allow them to walk beside him into the living room. Tina nodded, rolling her eyes when Gavin pushed past them.

“You can't tell me that doesn't sound like he's gonna make us his sugar babies,” He muttered to Tina quietly as he passed her, crossing his arms when she shushed him and heading down the hall.

Nines took a moment to observe how small Gavin looked in the oversized sweater, the hem falling a third of the way down his thighs. He came to the conclusion that the teen was definitely only wearing boxers underneath. He took a seat in the single chair, turning on the lamp as he sat and allowing Gavin and Tina to sit beside one another on the couch.

“So, firstly, I'd like the two of you to know you owe me nothing for your stay here. I don't expect you to pay rent, or foot any bills, I will gladly cover any costs of you two living here until you're back on your feet,” The android began, crossing one mile-long leg over the other. God, was it legal to have legs that long and toned? Gavin shook his head as if to shoo away that thought.

“You mean you… don't want us to be your sugar babies?” He blurted, earning a rough shove from Tina and a confused head tilt from Nines.

“I beg your pardon?”

“I think what Gavin  _ meant  _ to ask was, why are you being so generous? We didn't do anything to deserve this,” Tina reworded slowly, side eyeing Gavin threateningly.

“It didn't feel right to me to let you two continue the cycle you were caught in. I can't speak for my fellow officers, but I believe everyone should have the opportunity for rehabilitation. You two seemed like good people, forced into bad situations for the sake of survival. I thought I should use my privileges to help lift you out of those circumstances,” He explained thoughtfully, the response almost sounding a little rehearsed to Gavin, as though he'd anticipated that question and leant a significant amount of thought towards his answer.

“So you don't want anything from us? Nothing at all?” Gavin asked warily, still heavily suspicious that Nines was hiding secret intentions.

“No, nothing at all. I'm simply providing a means for you two to get back on your feet,” He offered another one of his bad attempts at a smile, the corners of his mouth twitching up ever so slightly in a way that made Gavin feel a little more awkward than he had before, if that was even possible, “That being said, I do wish to establish a few rules here and now so that there is no confusion in the future.”

“Sounds good to me, lay ‘em on me” Tina prompted, leaning back on the couch to make herself more comfortable.

“First and foremost, I feel as though it is pertinent to remind you I am a police officer, so I will not allow anything illegal under my roof. No alcohol since you are both underage, no drugs of any sort, and I expect both of you to stay out of police custody from here on out,” He began, looking between the two of them for any signs of protest. Both of them seemed content, so he moved on.

“Secondly, if you are going out I would like to know. You are grown adults, you don't have to tell me where you are or what you're up to, but I would simply like to know that you are safe. I won't give you a curfew, but if you are going to be out past say, midnight, please just let me know. We can register your hand prints in the digital lock so that both of you have access to the apartment, and when I get off work tomorrow I will buy you both cell phones to assure you can stay in contact with one another, as well as with me, at all times,” Tina and Gavin's eyes grew wide at that.

“You're gonna get us fucking cell phones?” Gavin asked incredulously, leaning forward in excitement. He hadn't had a cellphone in nearly three years, since he'd gotten kicked out of his house and loved in with Tina's family. He could tell she was excited as well, it had been about two years for her, ever since they'd ended up on the streets. God, had it really been two years?

“Of course, they are vital in communication as well as nearly every other aspect of life. I would not want to isolate you two, or jeopardize your safety in any way,” He elaborated, seemingly confused by the teen's starstruck reactions, “The last, and I feel most important rule I have for you two, is that I would like for the both of you to begin seeking out jobs. Again, you will not have to pay any bills, but seeing as my purpose is to aide you in becoming stable, securing a job will be a tremendous step towards independence. I won't put any time limits on your job searches, as I understand it will not be an easy task, but I will assist in any way I can with any applications or interview preparations,” Nines had spent the majority of his time in the Zen garden during stasis conjuring up these rules, trying to balance them to be fair enough but to also push the teens back into the flow of everyday life. He could only hope he wasn't coming across you harsh or over imposing.

“So you're genuinely just gonna take us in, two shithead rotten gutter rats that you barely know, out of like, the goodness of your heart?” Gavin spat, every bit the bitter skeptic he'd been when he was talking to Tina in the bedroom.

“I do not have a heart, not in the traditional sense, but metaphorically speaking, yes. The flaw with paying me the same as my human counterparts is that I do not need to buy food, or toiletries, or many of the things humans need to live a comfortable life. I have a lot of leftover money that I do not have much to do with, so I don't see why I wouldn't lend it to those far more in need than I,” It seemed like he was being genuine, but every instinct that had helped Gavin survive the past two years was telling him something was wrong. That he shouldn't trust Nines, that he and Tina shouldn't be there. Living in an alleyway does that to you, he supposed.

“Sounds like a deal to us,” Tina grinned, resigning to speaking for Gavin as well. Nines nodded, lips twitched up at the edges.

“Before I let you two go for the night, Gavin, I should redress your wound,” He offered softly, standing to walk over to where the two were sat. He grabbed the boys chin between his thumb and forefinger, tilting his head side to side to observe the wound a little closer whilst his LED circled yellow once, twice before returning to blue. Gavin pulled back and swatted the droid's hand away, sinking further into the couch and muttering something about personal space.

“Whatever Iron Giant, just do what you gotta do so I can go to sleep,” He muttered, crossing his arms and resisting the urge to roll his eyes when Tina gave up her seat on the couch to allow Nines to sit near him. The droid told Tina where the medkit was, asking oh so politely if she could go get it for him while he removed the slightly wet bandage from Gavin's nose. She came back with the kit and Nines set to work, taking gauze patches and covering the still fresh cut once more.

“Please do avoid getting the bandages wet,” Nines warned as he began taping the gauze down, “If they become too damp it could heighten the risk of the wound getting infected.”

Gavin didn't like how close the android was, how Nines had resumed holding the teen's chin as he had been before. He didn't like how easy it was to melt into the android's touch, or how captivatingly icy his eyes were, how cute it was that his brows furrowed the slightest bit when he focused. He especially hated his own touch starved gay ass for deconstructing his walls as soon as a hot guy put a hand on him. His top lip twitched slightly as he straightened up, telling himself not to let his guard down around the bot.

Nines finished, leaning back and smiling slightly at his handy work. Gavin leapt up off the couch, murmuring a quiet ‘night’ as he escaped to his room, leaving an exhausted Tina and a confused android in his wake.

“I do not understand, have I done something wrong?” He asked innocently, looking up at Tina in a way that reminded her of a puppy that'd just been scolded.

“No,” She sighed, crossing her arms and jutting out her hip, “He's just like that, doesn't like new people and all. He'll warm up to you in time, don't worry about it,” She advised with a smile. Nines nodded solemnly, standing and folding his hands behind his back.

“Well then, I should let you rest. Unless I get held up on a case, I will be off work at 6 tomorrow. I'm going to go get you two phones and drop off your leather jackets at the dry cleaner, so do not expect me home until about 7:30. Goodnight, Tina,” He offered another small smile before heading into the hallway, leaving Tina standing alone in the living room.

_ Home, huh?  _ She thought as she looked around the room, smiling to herself.  _ I could get used to this. _

* * *

The next two weeks went by without a hitch. Gavin and Tina settled in, with their new phones, and began to truly treat the apartment as their home. They were slowly spending more time outside of their room, sprawled on the couch watching movies or in the kitchen together cooking. The three fell into a sort of routine that way. Nines would leave for the day and text them periodically to make sure they were okay, and they would do various things through the day until he got home. When he did, they'd spend time on the couch, the teens making a point of showing him classic movies they deemed necessary for the android to see, until the humans got tired and retreated to their room for the night. All was going well, in the android's eyes.

Except for Gavin, that is.

As much as Nines had bonded with Tina, her male counterpart was not nearly as friendly. Though he was usually far more casual when Tina was around, he never seemed truly relaxed when the android was in the room; His body was always too stiff, his movements a little jumpy, his body language closed off. When Nines sat on the couch, Tina had no problem sitting next to him and making herself comfortable. Gavin however, always took the chair, whether his friend was also on the couch or not. If Nines was on the couch, the boy was nowhere near it.

Nines had tried everything he could to warm up to the teen, and had yet to make any forward progress. He tried making him breakfast in the mornings, learning exactly how cooked Gavin preferred his eggs and how he liked his bacon a little burnt. He learned exactly how Gavin liked his coffee, and made sure to stock the pantry with the specific roast he seemed to like the most and the coffee creamer he loved. He learned that Gavin preferred his coffee hot with the smallest splash of hazelnut creamer, barely enough to leave it's trace, and on bad days he simply took it black. That didn't seem to budge the teen at all.

The android then moved on to bringing his human little gifts, small things he'd see on the way home from work and pick up, like the little cat statuette he'd seen in a shop window and picked up in hopes Gavin would appreciate the thought. When Nines had given it to the human, he'd simply stared it for a while, before putting in his pocket and going back to cooking as he had been before he'd been interrupted. 

Nines then learned from Tina what movies Gavin loved, and tried to surprise him with physical copies of them all. He didn't have a DVD player, and any movie he could think of he could simply find on a streaming service -even the older ones Gavin liked- but he felt the sentiment would mean something. He'd spent two hours after work one day tracking down the few stores in Detroit that still sold physical DVDs, hopping from one to the next to find the movies Tina had told him about. In the end he'd only been able to track down three:  _ Reservoir Dogs, Donnie Darko,  _ and _ Pulp Fiction, _ but he felt satisfied nonetheless. And even though Tina hadn't mentioned it, he also purchased  _ The Iron Giant _ , seeing as Gavin had taken a liking to calling him that.

When he'd gone home to present them, he'd gotten a slight reaction of the teen, though it wasn't quite the elated gratitude he'd hoped for. A look of excitement had certainly crossed the human's features, but it was gone within a second and replaced with a nonchalant attitude, ribbing the android for buying him something he couldn't necessarily make use of. But Gavin didn't tend to joke with him often, so Nines took what he could get and counted it as a win.

That day in particular he'd taken Gavin and Tina out clothes shopping, as they'd all realized the night before when Tina got a call for a second interview regarding a position at a pet store that on their first trip they'd failed to buy any dress clothes that would be fit for a job interview. It was his day off, and her interview was in a little more than two hours, so they had trekked to a clothing shop relatively close to the apartment in order to find some last minute clothes for Tina, and some dress clothes for Gavin as well. His job search wasn't going as well as Tina's so far, as he had yet to receive any calls for a second interview, but he was hopeful, and there were plenty of places in Detroit for him to work.

Currently Nines was sitting on the bench outside the fitting room waiting for her to try on the outfit she'd picked out, a clearly uncomfortable Gavin standing leaned against the wall beside him despite there being more than enough room on the bench for him. He'd insisted on waiting to see Tina's outfit before trying his on.

After a few minutes she burst out of the dressing room, proudly modeling her choice of dress clothes for them. She wore a simple black button down, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows and the buttons undone to the center of her chest, a sliver of her black sports bra visible. The shirt was tucked into black high-waisted trousers, the simple circular buckle on the belt she'd picked out adding a bit of detail to the look. She laced her hands behind her head, grinning at the boys in front of her.

“Son of a bitch we picked out the same outfit,” Gavin sighed in annoyance, the smirk on his face giving away the hidden humor in his tone.

“How do I look?” Tina asked, placing her hands on her hips and striking a pose. Gavin walked up to her, taking one of the hairbands on her wrist and pulling her hair back into a messy ponytail.

“That's better,  _ now _ you look full on butch,” He snickered, stepping back to avoid a punch that never came.

“That's what I was aiming for, babe,” She beamed with a mocking wink, “Now I'm gonna change and you try yours on.”

“Yeah, after I find another shirt so we don't like like those weird couples that match all the fuckin’ time,” He complained as he walked away.  

After he found a replacement outfit and Tina changed back into her own clothes, it was Gavin's turn to try on his dress clothes. Tina sat beside Nines on the bench, leg bouncing with the excitement to see her friend in semi formal clothing. After a few minutes Gavin emerged, though in a much more reserved fashion than Tina had.

He was wearing a dark green button up, sleeves rolled to the elbow just as Tina's had been, with a pair of black jeans that were cuffed at the bottom and looked just the slightest bit nicer than any that he'd picked on their previous endeavor. The belt was a basic black belt with a silver rectangle buckle, and he'd picked a pair of black ankle boots to finish the look off. He looked far more shy than Tina had, not striking any poses and crossing one arm over his chest meekly as he stood before them. Nines and Tina shared a look, the latter wearing the largest grin he'd seen on her since he'd asked her to help him get on Gavin's good side.

Gavin looked amazing, the rolled sleeves accentuating his toned biceps and the fact that his shirt was tucked in only served to define his silhouette deliciously. Nines thought that those jeans must feel incredibly restricting, as they seemed to be tighter than any that the human had previously shown interest in.

Nines stood silent as Tina sung her friends praise, dancing around him to get a better look at every angle and babbling about how hot he looked. He forced a smile even as his HUD informed him of a software instability and a minor error in his thirium pump.

“I just feel like it's too, I don't know, formal? It doesn't feel like me at all,” He grumbled shyly, shoulders craned forward in an attempt to shield his body from scrutiny.

“Here, just put your jacket over it, it'll feel more casual,” Tina suggested, unceremoniously tossing Gavin his leather jacket. He pulled it on and turned to the full body mirror behind him, seemingly more confident than before if the smirk ghosting his lips was any indication. He shrugged his shoulders, straightening out the jacket.

“Oh yeah, this is definitely better,” He looked back at the RK through the mirror, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion, “You malfunctioning or somethin’ Iron Giant? Your little light's all yellow,” He informed with a hint of jest, poking a finger to his own temple.

Nines blinks, internally flicking away the software instability error notifications in his peripherals. He tilts his head slightly, watching as the reflection of his LED in the mirror settles back to blue. He will have to run diagnostics when he gets home, his systems seem to be delayed. It was about time for another deep stasis anyway.

“I'm quite alright, thank you,” He offers, “You look very nice, Gavin,” The upturn of his lips feels more natural that time, more sincere. Nines enjoys the feeling immensely. Gavin turns away from the mirror, muttering about going to change his clothes.

When he finally appeared in his regular clothes, the group headed up to the register where a female android greeted them. Nines very quickly paid, offering a stiff head nod at her as thanks, picked up the clothes she'd bagged, and led the way out of the store. He walked ahead of Gavin and Tina, not wanting to disturb the banter they had going.

“Hey Nines,” Tina called, giggling, “Gav's got a question for ya,” He stopped walking and turned at that, catching the sly wink T gave him as she shoved her friend closer to the android. Nines attentively waited for the two to catch up to him, beginning to walk again when the teens were on either side of him. Gavin put a generous amount of space between himself and the android, as per usual, and Tina walked so close and so unsteadily that she occasionally bumped into the android. He'd asked her before if this was the effect of an injury, but it seemed she just couldn't walk in a straight line and talk at the same time. Nines had to slow his usual pace in order to walk in time with them, but over the past two weeks he'd grown used to strolls with the shorter humans. He cocked his head towards Gavin, patient as the human searched for the correct words he wanted to say and glared at his friend for forcing him into a conversation with Nines.

“The uh, the little light thing,” He started, pointing to his own temple once again and tracing circles, “What do the colors mean?” Nines smiled as Gavin got the last of the words out, realizing that as far as he knew the two humans had had very little up-close exposure to androids, and especially deviants. And Gavin didn't ask Nines questions, barely talked to him at all. He always hung to the side of every conversation Tina and the RK would have, never really contributing but obviously paying attention. It was a small step, but rather important to the android that Gavin wanted to question him, even if he needed a literal push to do it.

“Well, there are three main colors that all androids are programmed with, blue, yellow, and red. I will explain them the way I experience them, as it is slightly different for every deviant,” He explained, laying down the basics because he had no way of knowing how much Gavin truly knew about this, “Blue can mean that I am not processing anything, or that I am completely neutral or content. Yellow can mean that my processors are being used in some way, whether that be searching something in my databases, communicating with a fellow android, or analysing information. Emotionally, yellow can also indicate anxiety, confusion, or fear,” Nines looked over to Gavin to make sure he was still following along, pausing when he saw the crease between the teen's brows.

“Wait, you can just talk to other androids in your head?” He asked, glancing up at the taller android as they turned a corner.

“Yes, that is also how I communicate with humans over the phone. Any time I receive a call or text, it is going to my communication network, meaning I do not need another device to facilitate these actions. This is how all androids communicate nonverbally, save for some very early models,” Tina and Gavin nodded along, taking in the slew of new information.

“Wait, you said it can turn red, right? What does that mean?” Tina asked, drawing the android's attention away from her male counterpart.

“Functionally, it means an android is injured, overwhelmed, or in danger. For deviants, it can also represent the most heavy of emotions, such as anger, great stress, shock, or in some cases enormous sadness,” He only hoped he was explaining the programming in a way the humans could understand. Connor had told him before that he had a habit of talking too robotically, and that his explanations could come off as too dense. He liked to think he was just thorough, “Some deviant's LEDs can stray from these three base colors, into mixtures like orange or green. I have not experienced this and cannot speak to what those colors indicate. A less common color that every android has is white, which simply indicates the android is no longer worki- alive, no longer alive, or they are in deep stasis,” Gavin looked at the android with mild shock when he had to correct himself, making the RK feel a tad bit embarrassed about his slip up. Maybe he was too mechanical.

“Sometimes it, like, spins at different speeds, right? Does that mean anything?” Gavin asked, seemingly enthralled with the idea of emotions being expressed by such a seemingly insignificant light that most deviants removed anyway. Maybe he was just desperate to find some sort of giveaway to the android’s thoughts, some way to read how the RK was feeling. If so, Nines knew how he felt all too well. Though it was one of the more enticing things about Gavin, his sheer unpredictability at all times was incredibly frustrating to the android.

He was not given the same social protocols as Connor and as such he sometimes had trouble navigating conversation with more welcoming humans, but Gavin was certainly an entire new ballpark as far as lessons on human interaction went. It made Nines uncomfortable to have so many probabilities running through his head at every exchange with the teen, all of which nearly equally likely. It overwhelmed his analysis programs more often than not, and the android had taken to turning his analysis suite off every day when he left the precinct. Besides, it allowed for more organic socialization, and he couldn't say it was an outright downside to appear more… human. He'd never encountered someone as enchantingly free as the young man walking beside him, it was part of why Nines was so determined to learn more about him.

“Yes, the speed can indicate the intensity of the emotion being felt, or the amount of power being used to process information. The more intense the emotion being felt, the quicker the cycle. Though, there are exceptions, such as with confusion. An android may feel heavily confused, but their LED is cycling very slowly. That can mean they are trying to break down the information they are not understanding,” He replied after he surfaced from his own thoughts, hoping he hadn't been silent for too long between Gavin's question and his answer. The teen simply nodded and chewed his bottom lip between his teeth, lapsing back into his usual silence for the remainder of their walk home.

* * *

Gavin sat curled up on the bed, knees to his chest and back to the headboard as he tried to steady his breathing. He was just being paranoid, this was just him being stupid and over dramatic like usual. Tina would be teasing him if she were there.

But she wasn't, and that was the problem.

Realistically he knew where she was, or at least, where she'd gone. She'd gone to her job interview, dressed in her new clothes with a black bomber jacket over it- Nines had told her some of the patches on her leather jacket might not be seen as professional. She'd just laughed at that, saying she assumed the patch on the sleeve of a cat skull with flowers growing out of its eye sockets and the words “nine lives” crossed out above it would be perfect for an interview at a pet shop. She was definitely gonna destroy the bomber jacket with patches too, it was only a matter of time.

The point was, she'd been gone for an hour and she wasn't answering her phone. He'd texted her a few times, telling her to let him know how it went and when it ended. She hadn't even looked at them, which was out of character for her. There was no way the interview was still going, right? Interviews were like, thirty, forty minutes at most, and Tina had been gone for almost an hour and a half. The pet shop wasn't that far away, only like a ten minute walk. She should be back by now.

So why wasn't she back by now?

She was probably fine. Probably. This was a safer part of town than the alleyway they were used to, she could handle herself. She took her knife everywhere she went, there was no way someone would get the jump on her without getting a few stab wounds in return. Though, the knife hadn't really stopped that android a couple weeks ago, had it…

Tina was fine. She had to be, she'd made it two fucking years on the God damn streets, she'd lived through a fucking revolution that had soldiers rounding people up on the streets and shoving guns in their faces and making them prove they weren't androids. She'd stared down the barrel of a gun, looked death in the eyes and still made a snarky comment to the soldier holding it to her. She wasn't about to get fucking kidnapped when they  _ just _ made it off the street, she was stronger than that. He knew she was. She had to be.

She'd taken care of not only herself, but Gavin for two years with no money, no house, no idea when their next meal would be, no guarantee of a tomorrow. They'd lived through some of the harshest winters on record on nothing but cans of food and nights spent in stores turned into makeshift shelters. They'd survived bar fights, assaults, creeps mistaking them for prostitutes. They'd stolen to make it happen, mugged a few arrogant rich bastards, gotten arrested countless times but they were still  _ alive _ , still breathing, still kicking and screaming against a life that had tried to take them out so many times before.

By they'd done all that  _ together _ . In the entire time they'd been on the streets together they'd never been separated this long, constantly glued together the hip because any separation was dangerous. They're stronger together, it was hard to kidnap two people at the same time. Especially two people armed with switchblades and unbridled rage. He didn't like being away from her for so long, couldn't handle the idea that something could have happened. Tina could be hurt, or dead, or- Jesus Christ when had the room gotten so small?

He threaded his hands through his too long hair- he really needed to cut it soon, it had reached his eyebrows in the front- desperately trying to mimic the feel of Tina's hands in his hair that always calmed him so much. He didn't know when he'd grown to yearn for that touch so much all the time, but it helped him when he was feeling anxious. He'd have nightmares sometimes on the nights he wasn't on watch, and when he would wake up he'd crawl over to Tina and put his head in her lap before he went back to sleep.  She'd play with his hair to keep herself awake and he would fall asleep to the feeling of hands in his hair, silently grounding him and letting him know he was safe and not alone. It grew into a habit, until it was hard for him to fall asleep any other way. God he really wished she was next to him right then, instead of wherever the fuck she was.

Tina was wherever she was doing whatever she was doing, and Gavin was trapped in that stupid fucking room in that stupid fucking apartment with a stupid android he barely knew. Tina said he was just being a dick with his paranoia towards the android, but he just didn't feel comfortable around the thing. He was nice enough, brought home little gifts sometimes, but he just… creeped Gavin out.

He didn't understand Nines at all, why he was being so nice as to take in two homeless criminals who had never done anything in return for him. He didn't understand how he worked, if he was “deviant” or not, what those dumb little smiles he would force sometimes meant. Did he even feel emotions? Was he just faking them? That probably wasn't an okay thing to wonder, considering androids had literally died fighting for the right to be considered alive. But he didn't doubt other androids, it was just this one. Other androids showed emotions just as well as humans, other androids could smile without it looking foreign on their faces and laugh and cry and get mad. Nines was always just. Neutral. Painfully neutral, all the time. And it freaked Gavin out.

He felt claustrophobic sitting in that room, knowing he couldn't leave without running into the android who he could hear moving around in the kitchen. He couldn't get the image of Cade pulling a knife on him and Tina out of his mind. She said she wasn't too affected by it, tried to play it off like the attack meant nothing to her, but he could tell in the way she stuck closer to him that it was a farce. Pretending to be strong for him again, like always.

She was the older sister he'd never had, the best friend he knew he could never hope to replace. And she was gone, possibly in harm's way, possibly never coming home, back to Gavin. Cause really that's what home was to them, each other. This apartment, with the android in the kitchen, wasn't home, would never be home to them because it was temporary. But they'd lived through the darkest times in their lives together. Their friendship wasn't temporary, wasn't something that could ever be broken.

He shook his head and buried it between his knees, choking back tears at the idea that Tina wasn't coming home. She was taking too long, she wasn't answering her texts, wasn't even reading them. Something had to be wrong, and he had to sit there not knowing because there was nothing he could do.

He couldn't breathe, couldn't think straight, couldn't keep the tears welling up in his eyes from spilling over. Panic broiled in his chest, gripping his heart and draining the life out of him. Curling ghostly fingers around his throat, squeezing until he felt he was being choked. His head pounded, every paranoid thought beating at his skull until he could feel the pain behind his eyes. His chest felt heavy, the aching weight of fear bearing down on him.

He needed- fuck he didn't know what he needed. He needed air, or a cigarette- he hadn't had one of those in a while. He needed Tina to come home and be safe and play his hair and remind him that he's not alone. That there's no danger, that nothing can hurt him.

He choked out a sob and tugged at his hair right as a soft knock sounded at the door. He didn't say anything, tried his best to stay silent because the last thing he wanted was to be bothered by that fucking android.

“Gavin? Dinner is ready, I made stir fry,” He informed through the door, patiently waiting for a response. He wasn't going to get one, which he seemed to realize after a moment, “Gavin? Are you alright?”

He couldn't stop the hiccuped sob that escaped him at that question. No, he wasn't alright. He wasn't alright at all because Tina wasn't there and he wasn't sure if  _ she _ was alright. He buried his face deeper in his knees when he heard the door click open softly. He almost wanted to laugh at the small 'oh’ that left the android as he saw Gavin.

He could hear the hesitancy in Nines’ steps as he stepped into the room, silently padding over to the bed. He'd never come into their room before, was respectful of their space and always stood at the door instead. Gavin felt the bed dip, could tell that Nines was perched on the other end, as far away as he could possibly be while still sitting on the bed. He was a little bit thankful for it as he wrapped his arms around his legs, making himself impossibly smaller as another sob wracked his body.

“What is upsetting you?” He asked, his voice softer than Gavin had ever heard it, but the awkward phrasing adding a mechanical edge to it. Gavin just whimpered in response, feeling pathetic for crying in front of someone he barely knew.

“Is there anything I can do?” He asked, seemingly lost for any idea how to handle this situation. Gavin imagined that he probably didn't have to deal with anxiety attacks often. He tried to pull himself together, sniffling and sitting up a bit.

“Not unless you can bring Tina back, no,” He laughed out bitterly, the attempt at humor falling flat with the crushing anxiety gripping his chest. His own words trigger the frightened thoughts once again, and his face screws up as he tries his best to ignore them. He shakily wipes his hands over his face, hiding himself from the android in front of him. He feels like an idiot, probably looks like one too.

“Is that what this is about, are you worried about Tina?” Nines inquired, moving closer on the bed and only adding to Gavin's claustrophobia at the moment. He looks up, sees the android's LED slowly spinning yellow. Processing information, that's what the android had said it meant. Or confusion. Or whatever, “If so, I can assure you she is likely perfectly fine,” He comforted, his hand reaching out towards Gavin's knee. He slapped away the hand before it could touch him, quickly jumping to his feet and moving away from the bed.

“Don't _fucking_ touch me,” He bit out, roughly gripping at his hair as he began to pace, “I’m fine I just- she's been gone almost two hours now, and we- I'm just not used to this. What if something happened, I- oh God, she's all alone and- fuck, _I'm_ all alone, oh fuck, oh god I'm not used to this I-I can't do this,” He knew he wasn't making any sense, knew he was probably just further confusing the android, but he couldn't keep his thoughts in line. Thoughts raced by at a mile a minute and he could only hold onto one for so long before the next caught his attention.

“I'm sure her interview is just taking longer than expected,” The android tried to interject, but it was lost on Gavin's scrambled mind.

“She can handle herself, fuck I  _ know _ she can, I just, Cade and- he took me out and still got to her, and there was two of us to go through! And she's all alone- fuck does she have her knife? Oh God did she even take her fucking knife oh shit- oh God oh no,” His gut sank at the realization that he didn't actually know if T was carrying her knife at all. He began to frantically search for it, pulling open drawers and searching the spots where she normally set it down.

“Gavin, could you do me a favor?” Nines asked, folding his hands in his lap patiently.

“Oh my God, what the  _ fuck _ do you want?” He snapped impatiently in response, annoyed that he was even having to talk to the damned plastic in the first place. He had better things to be doing, like crying silently or trying to find Tina's knife.

“Could you please tell me three grey things you can see right now?” He was polite and so patient, the exact opposite of Gavin in that moment. It kinda pissed him off.

“Seriously, tin can? I don't wanna fuckin-”

“Please? Just three, it won't take long,” The android insisted through Gavin's sour response. The teen let out an over exaggerated sigh in frustration, looking around the room through bleary eyes.

“I don't fuckin’ know, uh, the bedsheets. Um, you sweater's like a dark grey, and…” He trailed off as he searched for another gray item, wanting to get this over with so he could get back to what he was doing before. What was he doing before? His eyes swept the room one more time before landing on the bedside table, “The little cat thing you got me, that's mostly gray,” He muttered finally. The android responded with one of his trademark fake smiles, though this one seemed… warmer.

“And could you tell me three things you can hear right now?” He prompted again, earning a grimace in return.

“Fuckin’, I can hear the TV in the living room, and the cars outside,” He focused on what else he could hear, almost smirking when he heard the faintest sound of girly pop music through the walls, “And I can hear the neighbor’s shitty music,” The android smirked at that as well, the expression far more natural on his face.

“And three things you can feel?” He didn't know why Nines was making him play this stupid game, but he went along with it anyways. He didn't have anything else to do.

“Well, my hoodie is really soft,” He started, rubbing the fabric of the too-big sleeve in between his fingers, “And I can feel the wood floor. And, I can feel my sock like halfway down my foot and it's bugging me,” He leant down to fix that as he spoke, realizing he felt far calmer than when the android had just walked in. So  _ that _ was the purpose of the little game. It was a grounding thing. Huh.

“Do you feel better now?” Nines asked after a moment, still perched in the same spot on the bed. Perfect posture, hands folded in his lap, legs crossed at the ankle. The picture of patience.

“Yeah I… sorry, for snapping at you and all I just- don't like being away from Tina for so long,” He felt like an asshole, but he was thankful that he felt he could breathe again.

“I understand, you don't have to worry,” He reassured he stood, heading towards the door and stopping in the doorway, “Dinner is ready, I'll reheat it for you,” He offered, smiling softly before he headed down the hall, leaving Gavin to his own accord. The teen sighed and wiped his face of any remaining tear stains, before following the android. Tina was fine. He was just over reacting. She was safe. He was safe. She would be home soon. Everything was fine.

And if he tackled Tina in a bear hug the second she walked in the door ten minutes later, Nines didn't comment. He just served her a plate of food, and listened to her try and tell them about how a puppy had pissed on her hand through a mouthful of food. She didn't get the job.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is twice as long to make up for the shortness of the last chapter and the fact that the first half is almost entirely dialogue. Lmk what you think, I love reading comments :))


	5. River Stone Blues

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw for android gore and injury
> 
> Also don't ask about the title I have no idea but hey!  
> It sounds cool!

“ _ I got the job bitches! _ ” Tina roared as she burst into the apartment, waving employment papers in the air. She was grinning like the Cheshire cat, chest puffed out in satisfaction as Gavin sprung up from his seat on the chair. He dashed over to her, flinging his arms around her immediately as they both giggled.

“Oh my fucking God T, that's amazing!” Gavin exclaimed as he picked Tina up by the waist, spinning her in a circle as she threw her head back and laughed. Nines stood from his spot on the couch, joining the two with as genuine a smile as he'd ever managed. Pride swelled in his chest as he watched the two celebrate in their own way, squealing and hugging and laughing the entire time.

“I think this calls for celebration,” Nines chimed in with a clap of his hands as the two settle down, turning to look at him with their arms draped around each other's shoulders, “How about dinner and a movie?” He suggested as he looked between the two, delighted to see their ecstatic reactions.

“You're the best Nines!” Tina bellowed as she bounced forward, slinging her arms around his shoulders- though he had to bend slightly to allow this- and pulling him in for a hug. He chuckled as he slipped his arms around her waist, elated at the fact that she was hugging him for the first time.

“I am off for the remainder of the day unless I get called in, so we can depart whenever you two are ready to go,” He informed softly as he pulled away, looking between Tina's massive grin and Gavin's more bashful smile. Gavin shifted slightly, scratching at the freshly healed scar now mapping his nose.

“I'll uh, I'll go and get dressed then,” He muttered as he wandered off, gently brushing past Nines as he went and momentarily causing the android's systems to stutter. Considering Gavin was wearing one of his sleep shirts and a loose fitting pair of sweats that hung low on his hips, Nines couldn't argue with him.

“I'mma go change too, I can't stand lookin’ all professional,” Tina blanched as she followed Gavin, lacing her hands behind her head as they both disappeared into the bedroom.

Gavin emerged first a few minutes later, silently sitting on the sofa to tie his boots. His black jeans were hellaciously ripped on the thighs, and Nines remembered being told off when he'd try to interject when they'd purchased them. Gavin had simply shooed him off, insisting it was for fashion and not practicality. He wore an oversized sweater, navy blue and deep red wide horizontal stripes contrasting one another with “nø privacy” embroidered in small lowercase white letters on the center of his chest. He wasn't wearing his leather jacket to compensate for the fact that he was wearing a sweater in such lovely spring weather, so his bandana was tied around his left thigh in a similar fashion to how Tina frequently wore hers.

Speaking of the second teen, she appeared shortly after Gavin. She sported similarly ripped jeans, though instead of her bare skin beneath the rips, fishnet tights were visible underneath, the black waistband of which resting on the small of her waist. Her shirt was the same mustard yellow color as her bandana, a cropped tee with bold black lettering stating “ **GO FOR THE KILL** ,” though the last word was in red. She wore her regular leather jacket, the bandana tight around her right bicep much the same as Gavin's almost always was. For accessories she boasted a black leather choker with a metal circle in the center, and a thick leather bracelet with small spikes on it. Nines'd bought her and Gavin a couple accessories each the last time they ended up in the mall, unable to say no to the teens on spoiling them just a little bit.

Okay, so maybe he spoiled them a lot, putting them up in a pretty nice apartment and buying them clothes and food whenever they wanted, but he liked to think those were just the essentials.

She jutted out a hip and crossed her arms over her chest, cheeky grin stretching her features.

“I'm ready if you are,” She announced as she looked between the two, “Where we goin’ first?”

“Well, I suggest we go to dinner first while I look up movies and find times. Plus, that would give you two time to eat,” He coaxed, pulling his jacket on and certainly not noting the way Gavin's eyes were trained on him, “What kind of food sounds enticing currently?” He inquired as he slipped his shoes on. Tina put a hand to her chin thoughtfully, face screwing up in over exaggerated concentration.

“I'm always up for a good home-style diner,” She bubbled a few seconds later, hands dropping into the pockets of her jacket.

"I think I know just the place,” Gavin blurted, a shy grin splitting his features and stretching his new scar.

Twenty minutes later the trio pulled up in front of Cafe Libretto, a small family owned diner in Midtown that Nines had never heard of. Tina and Gavin, however, were grinning so intensely they seemed to vibrate with energy, practically bouncing inside. Nines simply followed them with a chuckle, watching as Tina let out a squeal at the sight of the Host.

“Roe!” Gavin shouted as said Host rushed out from behind the counter, literally sweeping Gavin off his feet and spinning him as Gavin had done to Tina earlier. Tina said her hellos as well, receiving a far less enthusiastic hug than Gavin but the affection remaining in a softer way.

The brunette dubbed Roe stood about Nines’ height if not an inch or two shorter, mousy brown curls on top and buzzed sides framing his high cheekbones. Dark green eyes scanned the two teens through thick eyelashes, a beauty mark under the inner corner if his left eye adding charm to his cherubic face. Nines watched him flash pearly whites at Gavin, his hands still bracketing the boys hips from their earlier hug as they caught up. Suddenly he felt as though his biocomponents were crowded in his chest cavity, tight as they overworked against the cool down warning his HUD was blaring at him.

“Oh! Roe, this is Nines, he's, well, I don't know, kind of our landlord in a way?” Tina introduced with a hand placed gently on the RK's bicep, ignoring the slowly circling gold in his temple. Nines realized then that his brows were furrowed in the beginning of a scowl, and he schooled his expression into something more neutral as he reached out a hand for the other man to take. The human looked over him sweetly, a sour look very briefly passing his features when his eyes landed on the LED accenting the android's temple. He quickly resumed his cheerful demeanor, though it seemed a bit more hesitant.

“Nice to meet whoever's been taking care of my little gutter punks,” Roe grinned as he disentangled himself from Gavin long enough to shake the android's hand. He didn't let his attention linger on Nines long before he turned back to the two teens, “You two look so nice! Please, go sit down, I'll be with you in a few minutes and we can catch up a bit,” He suggested fondly, gesturing his arm to the selection of tables and handing Gavin and Tina some menus.

Gavin lead the group toward a booth snuggled up in the corner of the shop, a large window in place of a wall to let sunlight illuminate his features. Nines and Gavin slid into opposite sides of the booth, and when Tina went to sit next to her friend, Gavin gently grabbed her wrist to stop her.

“Is it okay if you sit next to Nines? I want Roe to sit next to me,” Tina and Nines exchanged a meaningful glance before she slid into the booth next to him.

“How do you know him, by the way?” Nines asked curiously, briefly turning on his analysis suite to scan Roe's face in the police records. He came up as Roman Galla, 23 years old with a clean record, excluding some minor speeding tickets. While his LED continued to circle yellow for a brief moment, Nines turned his analysis suite back off. It was easy to quickly feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information his analysis protocol was trying to process at once. His analysis suite had never caused him to feel anxious, but it certainly helped him feel more put together when it was off and he wasn't constantly experiencing an onslaught of unimportant data.

“When we first ended up on the streets this area was our regular haunt. Roman would always let us come inside and give us free meals and everything. We haven't seen him in about a year since we moved further downtown. There started being too many cops around here and we kept getting arrested for fuckin’ loitering and other dumb shit,” Tina explained as she looked over the menu, brows knit as though the decision of what food she wanted equated to deciding whether or not to press the nuke button.

“You have never disclosed how you two ended up homeless at such young ages,” RK pressed, hoping to divulge more of the teen's backgrounds over dinner. Though he and Tina frequently talked, and Gavin had begun to warm up to him in the smallest of ways, he still had little to no idea who the teens really were. He knew their senses of humor and more domestic facts about them, had to because he lived with them, but he didn't know much else. Where they were from, who they were before, why they were who they were. It bothered the investigator in him to the core that he knew so little about the humans taking up his spare bedroom, and what better opportunity to find out more than a nice chat over courteously paid for dinner.

“God, this whole story,” Gavin rolled his eyes, huffing as he shifted in his seat and set his elbows on the table, palms squishing his cheeks, “I got kicked outta my parent's house right after I turned 16 because apparently even in 2037 homophobes still existed. I lived with Tina and her grandma for a while and graduated a year early when I was 17. I was in all honors and had the credits so I just took an extra English and graduated with Tina even though she was a grade higher than me,” He explained the tale as if bored, a story told a thousand times so often it'd lost any significance long before then.

“We lived in South Haven our entire lives but we figured Detroit wasn't insanely far away and we felt we'd have more opportunities here. But right before we planned to move my grandma got really sick, and we had to stay in South Haven longer than we thought. We'd gotten jobs in Detroit and even found a pretty cheap apartment, but we had to put it all on hold for my grandma.

“She passed away about a month later, and she didn't have any health insurance so whatever was left of my inheritance went to covering the funeral costs and medical bills. We couldn't even dream of affording to keep her house so we had to sell it, which, let me tell you, one barely-an-adult teenager and her not-quite-foster-brother trying to sell a house is a hell of a ride,” Tina laughed bitterly, setting down her menu as she seemingly finally decided on her order.

“We used the money from the house- albeit a pretty small amount- to finally move here. We were both at our jobs for less than a month when we got laid off in favor of android help. From there it was basically every other homeless story you'd hear nowadays; We couldn't find any other jobs that needed human help, the money from the house went out pretty quickly because of rent and food and transportation. We couldn't get state help because I was too young to apply and Tina kept getting rejected in favor of people in worse situations.

“It just kinda spiraled until we got evicted and we ended up on the streets. We didn't have friends to stay with and we stayed in shelters at first but with the insane unemployment and the amount of homeless people coming in and out all the time, they couldn't afford to let us stay more than two nights at once. Plus people like us don't really fare well in shelters, people thought we would just make trouble. We'd been on the streets about two years before you came along. It was just one case of bad luck after the other, you know?” Gavin finished in a yawn, theatrically demonstrating how uninteresting the conversation was to him. Nines, however, was simply entranced with all the information to take in. Gavin graduated early? In all honors classes? He hadn't thought the boy had been dumb whatsoever but that was definitely more than he was expecting. And the background only further proved how strong Tina was. Not only had she lost seemingly her only family and had to take care of Gavin on her own, but she navigated homelessness in a foreign city for  _ two years _ and still came out of it alive. It definitely explained why neither of them had reached out for help before then: there was no one to reach out to.

Unfortunately, Nines’ thoughts were soon interrupted by the sound of footsteps and the figure of a tall man sidling up to the table.

“You darlins had enough time to decide what you want?” He inquire in a sickly sweet tone, pulling a pen and pad of paper out of his apron pocket. He tutted when he saw Nines’ slight head tilt and drawn brows, “Don't look at me like that, we just like to keep things  _ traditional  _ around here,” Maybe he was being paranoid, but Nines couldn't help but bristle at the accented use of the word 'traditional.’

Tina ordered citrus pancakes with hash browns and over-medium eggs, with extra whipped cream and added strawberries. For her drink she decided, after much deliberation, on a strawberry-peach lemonade- very pointedly mentioning that she didn't want any ice-  and a berry milkshake she justified by stating she'd share it with Gavin. When Nines had protested that they could both just get one, Tina had interjected with something along the lines of ‘no trust me tincan, these things are fuckin huge.’ Gavin ordered banana and chocolate chip pancakes with sausage and bacon, also asking for extra whip, and deciding on a simple black coffee for his drink.

“And I'm assuming just a bucket o' bolts for you, right terminator? Or would that be cannibalism?” Roman quipped with a grin when he finished writing down Gavin's order, moving on before Nines had a chance to reply with his own snide remark, “Alrighty, I'm just gonna run this to the cook and then I'll come sit down for a nice chat,” He winked as he sauntered away, tucking his pen behind his ear as he went. Gavin very obviously stared after him, and Nines tried his best to conceal the newly discovered jealousy broiling in his chest. Roman didn't look _that_ special. So what he was tall, Nines was too, he was taller than the human. And Nines’ hair could be curly too, when he wanted it to be. He had high cheekbones too. Roman didn't have anything that Nines didn't possess as well, so why did Gavin keep staring at him like that?

The android shook his head as the aforementioned human slid into the booth next to Gavin. He was being ridiculous, why was he getting jealous? It wasn't like he owned the soul claim to Gavin's attention, he barely claimed any of it at any given time. He had no right to be jealous, besides, he wasn't attracted to Gavin in the manner Gavin seemed to be attracted to Roman. He'd never been attracted to anyone that way, hell, he wasn't entirely sure he  _ could _ feel that way about anyone.

“So, catch me up on how you two are doing. How'd you meet Niles here, how's job hunting treating you?” Roman asked as he leant forward on the table, side pressed incredibly close to Gavin. Before the RK could correct the human on his name, Tina sprung to life beside him.

“Nines is a Detective at the station we always end up at,” She giggled, mirroring Gavin by resting her chin in her hands, “I guess he felt bad for us after a while or something, he started letting us out of the holding cells and bringing us food and stuff. Eventually we ran into each other on the street and he offered us a place to stay, and I mean, who the hell would turn that down?” Nines chose not to comment on the omission of the fact that when they'd ‘run into each other’ he'd had to arrest their attacker and bring them back to the station to suture Gavin's wounds. If she didn't want Roman to know that, it wasn't his place to disclose it.

Roman hummed in response, looking towards Gavin thoughtfully and taking him in. He reached out a gentle hand, and Nines watched as the man cupped Gavin's cheek, rubbing his thumb on the scar cutting across the teen's nose. He tried not to think about the way Gavin leaned into the touch, or how painfully obvious the blush lighting up his cheeks and ears was. The red of his face almost matched the split second red flash of Nines’ LED.

“How’d this happen, tom cat?” There was that nickname again, the one that Tina repeatedly called Gavin when he was being rowdy. It seemed to placate him when he was being hostile or anxious, and Nines found himself the slightest bit bitter that seemingly everyone but him had earned the right to the nickname.

“Oh, you know me, always pissin’ off the wrong person,” He chuckled bashfully in response, still not pulling away from the touch at all. The answer was just vague enough that the RK couldn't necessarily call it a lie, but he couldn't see why neither of them wanted to divulge the truth.

“Yeah, you are pretty great at pissing people off, huh?” Roman chuckled as he slung his arm around the teen's shoulders and pulled him into his side, ruffling his hair affectionately and causing the red in his cheeks to burn brighter, “Any other news?” The waiter continued as he turned back to Tina, arm still around Gavin's smaller frame.

“I got a job today!” She chirped excitedly, positively buzzing in her seat with energy.

“No way! That's amazing Tina!” Roman exclaimed, awkwardly leaning across the table to pull her into a hug. She leaned off her seat to make this easier, laughing as she reciprocated eagerly, “Where're you gonna be working?” He questioned as he sat back in his seat.

“9 Lives a few blocks from here! When I showed them the tattoos I've done on myself they were really impressed. Said they'd been lookin’ for a good hand poke artist for a while,” The grin on her features wouldn't falter even as she elaborated, “I'm gonna be an apprentice under the head tattoo artist there.”

“Congratulations, Tina. I'm very proud,” Nines patted her on the back gently, chuckling when she crashed her shoulder into his side to will him into a half hug.

A bell sounded from the kitchen, causing Roman to perk up like a dog being whistled to.

“Looks like the food's all done babes,” He declared as he stood up, hurrying over to the cook to gather their orders onto a platter.

“Regular wait staff etiquette would dictate that the drinks be brought immediately after the food is ordered, not at the same time the food is brought,” Nines murmured bitterly to no one in particular, “Perhaps he would have done this had he not been so distracted.”

“Don't be bitter Nines,” Tina snapped playfully, thanking Roman when he began setting food down on their table.

“Sadly I have other customers to tend to, but I wrote down my number on this napkin so you guys can hit me up whenever you want,” He offered graciously as he set out two straws for the teens’ milkshake. The two smiled at him and set into their food, Tina light-heartedly teasing Gavin about how only 70 year old white men actually enjoy black coffee.

The rest of the dinner went by without a hitch, the three bantering back and forth for a little less than an hour before they were out the door. They'd decided on seeing some action film with low ratings, insisting there was no greater joy than sitting on the far back row of a movie theater and shitting on a bad movie. They'd decided to walk to the movie theater, as it wasn't very far from Cafe Libretto.

“What does the praying mantis on your jacket represent?” Nines asked Tina as they neared the theater, looking down at her and examining the large patch on the back of her leather jacket. The patch itself looked to be made of large canvas fabric, a beautifully painted praying mantis poised and taking up nearly the entire patch.

“Female praying mantises mate and then they fuckin’ eat their mate's head and I think that's fuckin’ dope,” She answered with a grin, hands shoved in the pockets of her jacket, “Plus it just looks cool. Not everything has to mean somethin’, you know?” Nines simply hummed thoughtfully in response, holding the door to the theater open for the teens.

“You can go get the drinks and snacks while I get the tickets,” He informed as he looked around the lobby of the theatre, “Just look back at me when you're done ordering and I'll pay for it, the worker is an android so it shouldn't be a problem,” With that Gavin and Tina wandered into the snack line, excitedly discussing what they'd get.

“I haven't been to a theater in forever, you know we gotta cop some of that popcorn,” Gavin babbled, “Oo, and Junior Mints. Oh and maybe a slurpee too, holy shit I love those.”

“Dude if you think for a second that I'm not gonna shove my pie hole full'a Bunch o’ Crunch then you're an absolute fool,” She confirmed as the person in front of them stepped up to order. Another android worker at a different cash register called them up, and Gavin didn't miss the way the worker's eyes raked up and down his form.

“Um, can I get a large popcorn with extra butter,” Gavin started shyly, crossing an arm over his chest protectively.

“Sure thing handsome, anything else?” The android purred, smirking down at a now blushing Gavin.

“Uh, and one, actually, two boxes of Junior Mints,” The android hummed in confirmation while Gavin stammered through his order, “A-and two boxes of Bunch o’ Crunch,” He tried not to let the obvious flirting phase him, but he couldn't truthfully say that he wasn't uncomfortable.

“Mm, anything else cutie?” He asked with a smirk, tongue darting out to lick over his bottom lip, “Anything at all?” Right as Gavin was going to look to Tina in a silent call for help, he felt an arm smoothly snake around his waist, the feeling of a solid chest pressing up against his shoulder blade. He looked up to see Nines’ hardened stare directed at the android cashier, his LED spinning yellow. He felt relief flood through his veins as Nines hugged him a bit closer, very obviously making a show of being Gavin's fake boyfriend. He looked down at the teen, glacial eyes meeting moss green ones with a softer look.

“Anything else you want darling?” He asked, silently comforting Gavin through a look that told him not to worry. He wasn't worried about the cashier anymore, but the blush turning his skin to lava and the butterflies threatening to burst through his chest certainly did nothing to make him more comfortable.

“U-um, just a uh, just a cherry slurpee,” He stuttered in response, breaking eye contact to sneer at Tina who was standing behind Nines with a shit eating grin. The cashier finished the order with a slightly disappointed expression, silently accepting Nines’ weird Android version of paying for things and setting to work on their popcorn.

“I apologize if I spooked you,” Nines muttered into Gavin's ear, arm still secured around his waist, “You seemed uncomfortable with his advances, and this was the only way I could get him to stop without causing a scene.”

“Y-yeah, thanks,” Gavin gulped in response, desperately trying not to lean into the android's surprisingly warm presence. And if he missed that strong arm around him when they gathered their food and began walking to the theater their movie was showing in, he certainly didn't think about it.

* * *

Tina started work at 9 Lives a few days later, on a day that Nines also happened to have work. This left Gavin completely alone inside the apartment.

He was fine. It was no big deal. He definitely wasn't going to freak out like he had when Tina had gone to the pet shop interview.

He was fine.

This was fine.

He survived all of an hour alone before he felt suffocated by the house. Nines had left him with a twenty to order food in case he wanted to, and he decided this was the perfect opportunity to go buy a long awaited pack of smokes. Tina wasn't around to badger him about his ‘cancer sticks'- even though she always made him share, the hypocrite- and a nice stroll and some cigarettes would do wonders for his nerves.

The gas station he sought was only a few blocks from the apartment, less than a mile but far enough to let him get a hold of his sensibilities. He drummed out the rhythm to a nameless song on his thighs as he walked, taking in the scenery around him and trying to ground himself.

He recalled the trick Nines had taught him when he'd helped him through his last separation anxiety panic attack. He looked around for three red things he could see, noting a smart car, a can of soup discarded in the alleyway, and the bright sneakers of someone walking parallel to him across the street. He focused on things he could hear next; He heard the commotion of cars driving past, the sound of a street performer playing drums on an assortment of pots and buckets, and the sound of a businessman rushing past him whilst on a phone call. He could feel the cold of wind biting at his exposed wrists, and the tips of his fingers on the hand that wasn't drumming rubbing against the fabric inside the pocket of his jacket. He could also feel the gravel underneath his feet as he walked, and feel that his boot was a little loose on his foot thanks to the laces having come undone.

All of those observations did little to curb the anxiety crawling underneath his skin. He felt shaky, like a gust of wind could shatter him at any moment. Maybe going out wasn't a great idea.

He didn't have much time to dwell on it before he was opening the door to the gas station, stepping inside and rubbing his hands together to warm them. He wandered around the store for a moment, deciding on whether or not he wanted to try scoring a pack of beer. But he didn't have his fake ID on him, and Nines had told them a month ago when they first moved in that he didn't want them drinking since they were underage. So he begrudgingly settled for a small bag of chips, some M&Ms, and a Red Bull before he brought his loot up to the counter.

“Can I get two packs of Marlboro light 100s,” He might as well stock up, right? He also grabbed a two pack of lighters, figuring he'd probably lose one of em in less than a week. He missed his old Zippo lighter, he'd had it since he was 15 when he'd gotten it as a gift from a friend but when shit got really desperate, he sold it in favor of some soup.

After spending every bit of the twenty save for a few odd coins, Gavin was out of the store as quickly as possible. He leant up against the outside wall and dug through the bag for his cigs and the lighters, putting a stick between his lips the second he could grab it from the pack. He shakily lit up and sucked in a hefty bit of smoke, breathing it down and feeling it fill his lungs in the most sickly satisfying way. He started his walk home as he finished the rest of the cigarette, feeling his nerves being pacified by the smoke blurring his anxieties.

When he got home he set the bag of things on his bed, and emptied his pockets of everything except his lighter and a single cigarette. He took the time to hide the packs of cigarettes in the drawer of the bedside table on his side of the bed. He knew Tina wouldn't care, but he also didn't want her stealing a pack for herself. He knew Nines had a balcony in his room, and he was sure that the Android wouldn't care if he made use of it so he checked his pocket to make sure his lighter was still there, and wandered into Nines’ room.

He hadn't actually been in Nines’ room before then. It was much the same as his and Tina's room, except a little bigger and with a balcony. The general set up was nearly identical, and Gavin didn't know why but the presence of an actual bed was somewhat surprising to him. He assumed Nines would only have one of those weird charging stations androids would stand in at bus stops and such. His bed, nightstand, and dresser were all the same as was in Gavin's room, the only thing that truly made the room stand out was the desk with a computer terminal and several folders scattered on top. Despite his curiosity, the teen walked straight past the desk and onto the balcony, figuring it was probably some degree of illegal to look at those files anyways.

He leant against the rail of the balcony, cigarette between his middle and index finger and looked out over the city. It had only been two hours since Nines had left and taken Tina to work- God it was still weird to think she finally had a job- but it felt like a lifetime.

He wasn't sure how he felt about Nines anymore. The android had never done anything to warrant his distrust, but years of constant vigilance made his trust hard to come by. Nines had never stepped foot in their room, always knocked before he came in, gave them ample space to be comfortable in the apartment and always reminded them that it was their home. They didn't have to walk on eggshells any time they wanted to get food from the fridge or watch television in the living room. He'd gotten them cellphones, clothes, took them to get haircuts, Nines did everything he could to be sure the teens were taken care of.

He was incredibly gentlemanly. He was so sweet with Tina, and she certainly trusted him. It wasn't that he disliked Nines, necessarily- he supposed it was more that he was intimidated by him. He never truly felt comfortable in the presence of a six-foot-whatever robot that could snap him in half if he really wanted to. Though he supposed that was kind of on purpose. A monument to masculinity, sculpted to perfection by some of the most brilliant hands money could buy, the height of luxury intended to ruthlessly eliminate anything perceived as a threat to the throne humanity sat upon until the revolution. They didn't have to make him Gavin's personal wet dream, though. That was just playing dirty.

He couldn't say he wasn't attracted to Nines. And he couldn't say that when Nines had put his arm around him in the theater that he hadn't almost swooned right into that beautifully solid chest. That he didn't feel the phantom touch on his hip for the entire time they were watching the movie. That he didn't think about how low and smooth Nines’ voice sounded when he called Gavin darling, that he didn't think about what else Nines would call him. What else those big hands could do-

_ Crash! _

His thoughts were cut off by the sound of the front door being thrown open so roughly it sounded like it'd break off its hinges. Gavin startled, dropping whatever was left of his cigarette off the balcony as he spun around at the noise. Surely Nines couldn't be home yet, he'd only just left a few hours ago. And Tina was strong, but not break-a-door-down strong. Was an intruder breaking into the house? He frantically patted his pockets for his switchblade.

_ Shit _

He left it on his bed.

He let out a shaky breath and opened the door to the balcony, slowly stepping into Nines’ room and looking around for anything he could use to defend himself. Hadn't Nines said before that he collected knives? Where the hell were they? He groaned silently, too panicked to spend time tearing up the android's bedroom for some knives. He could handle a fist fight. He'd be fine.

He cautiously crept towards the door to Nines’ room, opening it as quietly as he could and peeking around the corner. He couldn't see anything from where he was, so he carefully placed a foot into the hallway, placing his weight as evenly as he could to avoid making any noise. He'd already learned which floorboards creaked the most, a habit from when he was younger and had to sneak food to his room without his parents hearing him. When the living room was finally in view, he could see a figure sitting on the couch, a figure that looked a lot like-

Nines.

It was just Nines.

Gavin let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding, alerting the android to his presence.

“Jesus fuck, Nines, you scared the shit outta me,” He breathed as the android turned to him, “What are you doing home? It's not even-”

“I apologise for making so much noi-

“ _ Holy fuck are you bleeding‽ _ ” Gavin squealed when the blue soaking Nines’ usually immaculate white jacket came into view. He rushed forward and volted the back of the sofa, frantically scrambling to his feet in front of the android.

“Yes, it would seem so-”

“Holy shit, um, fuck where's the, the the medkit, where's the medk-”

“I assure you I'm-”

“Jesus Christ you were gone for like two fucking hours how did you-”

“Gavin- _ ” _

“ _ Fuck-  _ shit I just- I don't know what to do, I-I don't-”

“ _ Gavin _ .”

“ _ What _ ,” He snapped, brought back to reality by the feeling of a heavy hand gripping his shoulder. He could feel his heart drumming against his ribcage in a desperate attempt to escape, his lungs working overtime as he struggled to draw in one ragged breath after the other.

“I promise you I am alright,” The android drawled slowly, “I just need to remove the bullets, and my self-healing protocols will take care of the rest. I'm not in any pain, my life is not in danger. I am safe, it's okay,” He spoke while looking directly into the eyes of the teen he was trying to calm down, squeezing Gavin's shoulder reassuringly.

“Is… is there anything I can do? Do you need help, or,” He trailed off, still unable to get a steady hold on his breathing. Seeing Nines like that felt like he was back during the revolution, being restrained by soldiers while another slaughtered androids right in front of him. His stomach felt like a boulder tossed into a rapidly moving river, and he was sure that if he didn't sit down soon he'd faint.

“Could you fetch some of the thirium that's in my room? It's in the mini fridge under the nightstand,” He instructed, taking a seat on the couch and grabbing the set of pliers on the coffee table. Gavin hadn't seen a mini fridge when he was in Nines’ room, but he trusted his word as he took wobbly steps back down the hallway.

He returned a few minutes later with three bags of thirium in hand, lightly perching next to Nines on the couch and handing them to him. The android murmured a thanks as he took them, setting them in his lap and immediately returning his focus to his arm. Gavin felt his stomach roll as he watched Nines dig the pliers into the bullet hole in his bicep, pulling the bullet out a moment later and setting it on a small plate he'd set out.

“By the way,” Nines hummed as he turned his attention to the hole in his shoulder, “Why were you in my room when I arrived?”

“Oh,” Gavin blurted, looking down at his lap while his cheeks dusted rose, “I was just out on the balcony,” It wasn't a lie. More of an omission of truth.

“Doing what?” God, living with a Detective android was annoying sometimes.

“Smoking,” He admitted with a sigh, “I took a walk to the gas station and used that twenty to get some,” Nines only nodded wordlessly, removing the bullet and tossing it on to the plate with a calculated flick of his wrist. They fell into a comfortable silence for a moment, Gavin quietly watching him remove bullet after bullet. Whoever had shot at him definitely made him look like a walking piece of target paper.

“Can I ask you somethin’?” The teen asked when the noiselessness became too heavy to bare.

“Go ahead,” Nines responded gently, face scrunching slightly as he worked the pliers into another wound.

“Why don't you like… emote like other androids?” Maybe it was wrong to ask, but it was bothering him. He'd seen Nines emote, had learned to pick up on his unique way of expressing emotion, but he always wondered why the android couldn't smile quite right. Though, Gavin had to admit, his little genuine smirk was pretty charming. Nines sighed at the question, placing the pliers down on the plate with the last of the bullets in its jaws.

“You must understand, I was never intended for public consumption. I was built for war, to be the ideal soldier. As such, I was not built with the social integration protocols that my predecessor possesses. I can feel as deeply as any other deviant, but I was never intended to emulate such emotions outwardly,” Gavin nodded at that, playing with the hem of his shirt in between his fingers to avoid eye contact with the android in front of him.

“I apologise if it makes you uncomfortable. I have been told that my lack of expression can be… unsettling,” He continued after a moment, a wash of sadness tugging his features down.

“No! No, that's, that's not what I meant,” Gavin tripped over his words in response, steeling himself into something resembling put-together, “I was just wondering. There's nothing wrong with you, okay? Fuck what other people say,” He'd always been told he was shit at comforting people. Nines seemed to find it reassuring, however, offering one of his more genuine smiles, the small one that barely tugged at his lips but somehow still reached his eyes.

“You had me really worried, you know,” He whispered after a moment, fearing anything louder would break the ambience of the moment. He peered up at Nines through thick lashes, the pink in his cheeks still everpresent.

“I could tell,” The android chortled quietly in response, a low nose bubbling up from his chest and sending a shiver up Gavin's spine like lightning. His blush grew deeper as he playfully swatter at the android's uninjured arm, hushing him and turning away with a pout when he only continued to chuckle, “Within a few hours there will be hardly any evidence I was shot in the first place. Well, save for the holes in my jacket.”

“I know how to sew, if that'd help,” He offered, bringing his legs up on the couch and crossing them like a kindergartener in a sharing circle.

“It's quite alright, I have others that look identical. I appreciate the offer, however,” He thanked as he stripped of his jacket, neatly folding it in half and placing it over the arm of the sofa. Gavin shrugged, trying to hide the way his eyes hungrily took in the android's figure. He didn't get to see Nines without his jacket nearly enough, he concluded. He found it funny that the android spent so much on clothes for him and Tina, yet seemed to exclusively own black turtlenecks. They made him look amazing, though, so the human certainly wasn't going to complain.

They stayed on the couch like that for a while, Nines waiting for his arm to heal and Gavin mindlessly flipping channels on the TV. Nines sat with his hands in his lap, content with the knowledge that this was the first time Gavin had ever willingly sat on the couch with him.

He was even more delighted when, half an hour into their sedentary session, he felt a weight settle on his uninjured shoulder. He looked down to see Gavin leaning into him, cheek squished on the android's shoulder and eyes peacefully closed. The RK shifted slowly, letting the teen's head fall closer to his chest and wrapping an arm around the boy's shoulders. He must have been exhausted from his earlier panic attack, so Nines figured it'd be rude to disturb him. And maybe he was delighted at the closeness, reveling in the scent of the cologne he'd bought the boy and the coconut-y smell of his shampoo, but that was something else entirely. He'd move Gavin to his bed soon enough, but for that moment, he allowed himself to selfishly hug the sleeping teen just a little bit closer.

He'd never admit to it out loud, but his chest fluttered ever so pleasantly when Gavin pressed closer unconsciously, letting out a happy little sigh. He looked like a kitten when he slept, like the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders and he had no reason for his hackles to be raised. Nines hoped to see the teen like this more often, he realized as he carded a hand through feather soft hair. He sighed to himself, letting his head fall back against the sofa.

Maybe he  _ could _ feel that way towards someone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Roman: "haha we like to keep things traditional around here"  
> Nines: What the fuck did you just fucking say about me, you little bitch? I’ll have you know I graduated top of my class in the Navy Seals, and I’ve been involved in numerous secret raids on Al-Quaeda, and I have over 300 confirmed kills. I am trained in gorilla warfare and I’m the top sniper in the entire US armed forces. You are nothing to me but just another target. I will wipe you the fuck out with precision the likes of which has never been seen before on this Earth, mark my fucking words. You think you can get awa-


	6. A Word of Advice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please read the note at the bottom of this chapter for more explanation.

“So let me get this straight,” Hank sighed, wiping a hand over his face, “You took in two delinquent homeless teenagers a month ago, and you're  _ just now _ telling us?”

Nines nodded curtly, not understanding what was so hard to grasp about this concept, “That would be correct, yes.”

“Is this why you haven’t come by after work as of late? Because you didn’t want us to know about Gavin and Tina?” Connor asked curiously, head tilted just enough to give him that puppy dog look Hank so often teased him about.

“Yes, I feared you would have discouraged me from taking them in with so little prior knowledge on them,” He admitted in response. Of course, no amount of dissuasion would have convinced him to let the teens continue their lives on the streets, but it surely would have been irritating.

“Well obviously we would have-” Connor nudged the Lieutenant with a scold, LED twitching yellow before it returned to its natural blue hue.

“What Hank means to say is that, while we might have advised against it initially, you still could have told us,” Connor promised sincerely, face twisted in mounting concern for his successor.

“Okay fine, but why're you tellin’ us this now?” Hank gruffed, armed crossed over his chest as he leaned back in his chair. Nines let out an artificial sigh, fans whirring just the slightest bit louder.

“I fear that I may have grown… attached, to Gavin, in a way that I am not with Tina,” How odd an experience for such a usually straight-to-the-point android to beat around the bush.

“Would you mind elaborating?” Connor asked with furrowed brows and his signature head tilt. He definitely had an idea of what the newer Rk was trying to convey, but his social protocols were likely restricting him from blurting his assumptions. That and Hank's constant insistence that “Assuming make an ass out of you me,” as if it wasn't the very basis of their careers to assume things.

“He's got a fuckin crush on his roommate,” Hank laughed, punching Nines’ arm in a fatherly manner.

“Yes, it would seem so,” He admitted slowly, the sensation of his cheeks warming a foreign one to him, “I believe I would like your guidance on how to approach the subject.”

“Well, does the kid like you back?” Hank questioned from his seat, quirking an eyebrow.

“I am,” He paused to think for a moment, “ill-equipped to make that sort of deduction,” He furrowed his brows as he slowly uttered the rest of the thought. Why did Cyberlife have to go and strip him so thoroughly of his predecessor's precious social programming?

“You're a detective Nines, use those skills,” Connor prompted, an encouraging smile splitting his features.

“Well, he is certainly warmer to me than he was previously. When they first moved in he would not so much as sit on the couch with me, but last week when I returned home after being shot he fell asleep on my shoulder,” He fondly recalled the moment he realized he might have become infatuated with his housemate, his thoughtful smile morphing into pursed lips, “However, he seems to go through phases regarding his level of comfort with me. On any given day he may be very cold or snappy, much as he was in the first few weeks. But the next day he'll seem overly companionable, affectionate even,” Gavin Reed was confusing in many ways to the poor Rk900. Connor looked thoughtful for a moment, casually sliding his coin across his knuckles as his LED blinked a careful yellow.

“I suggest you continue to gauge his feelings and perhaps consult Tina, since you said the two are close. Perhaps he's said something of it to her,” His fellow Rk unit suggested after a moment, tossing his coin up into the air before quickly catching and pocketing it.

“If you think he likes you, just go for it. As long as you're respectful there's no harm done whether he likes you back or not,” Hank chimed in, standing with a grunt and grabbing his coffee mug to go refill it, “Just don't be weird about it!” He called back as he strode towards the break room. Connor let out a quiet chuckle, shaking his head as he watched his partner go.

“I'm sure whatever you decide to do will work out somehow,” He offered kindly straightening from where he was leant against the Lieutenant's desk.

“Let's hope so.”

Nines went about the rest of his day mulling over the given advice, distracting himself in the current red ice investigation he, Connor, and Hank had been assigned. Normally all three of them were strictly homicide division, but this bust was the biggest the department had seen since the one that shot Hank straight to Lieutenant.

A giant distribution chain spread out around the city, thought to be housed mainly in seedy bars and the odd strip club or two. The connecting factor between them was Leon Maelo, mysterious owner of all the establishments and known drug hustler. He'd been on the department's radar for the better half of fifteen years at that point but it was only recently that his careful web was beginning to falter. They didn't have any non circumstantial evidence to stick to him yet, at least nothing truly meaningful, but the entire precinct was working tirelessly on it.

The android's thoughts strayed throughout the day to the subject of his earlier discussion with Connor and Hank. He wondered how Gavin was doing, knowing the teen rather disliked being left at the apartment alone. He did mention possibly walking to 9 Lives later in the day to visit Tina, as she'd brought up the idea of possibly practicing her tattoo skills on him. Nines wondered what tattoo Gavin would request if he did let his friend use him as a tree canvas.

With a shake of his head and a sigh probably too dreamy for a being as intimidating as himself, Nines set back to work, willing the day to end so he could return home.

* * *

"Hey T?” Gavin called hesitantly as he looked down at where she was bent over his forearm, every ounce of her focus directed onto the beetle she was currently outlining. He'd requested she put the image of a scarab with its wings spread in the same place her moth tattoo was, so they could have another sort of matchy thing between them. She hummed, not even glancing up as she meticulously poked at the lines the guide print on his arm provided for her. Why she'd chosen to become a hand poke artist Gavin wouldn't know, it was far more tedious than the regular guns most the other tattoo artists in the shop- aside from her mentor- made use of.

“I uh… I think I have a crush on Nines,” He muttered, cheeks darkening as he turned his head away. His head snapped back when he felt the needle leave his skin, Tina letting out a loud snort followed by bouts of giggles when Gavin swatted at her.

“You think I didn't know that gay boy? Last week when I came home for lunch you were  _ sleeping on his chest _ ,” She laughed, ducking out of the way of more hits.

“Shut the fuck up, it was an accident,” He hissed, blush spreading to his ears as he tried to defend himself, “I'm not even fully sure yet. It's probably not even a real crush, he's just hot.”

“Gav, baby, baby boy, honey, my sweet sweet dumbass, you absolute fool,” She cooed lovingly, smoothing his hair back and ruffling it a bit, “I think the only person on Earth more oblivious than you is Nines.” Gavin groaned as Tina went back to work, roughly setting his head back against the chair.

“What do I do? I don't know if he even knows what a crush  _ is, _ ” He lamented, closing his eyes against the persistent pain biting his skin as Tina worked.

“Gavin Emanuel Reed-”

“I really wish you'd stop making up names-”

“When have you  _ ever  _ let that stop you from getting some dick? If you wanna go after him just go after him,” She proposed the idea like it was the simplest thing in the world, like he was an idiot for not having thought of it first.

“But I didn't live with those guys Tina, what if he doesn't like me? What if he's straight, or his stupid robot brain can't feel love?” He was definitely whining at that point, and maybe being a little insensitive, but they were valid questions and he'd defend them that way til his death.

“You're just being insecure you little shit. There's no way he doesn't feel  _ some  _ kinda way towards you, why else would he pretend to be your boyfriend at the first given opportunity? Plus, he's way different with you than he is with me,” She explained as she wiped away some excess ink, quickly setting back to work.

“You think so?” God, he sounded like a little kid hopeful they were about to get candy.

“Of course babe,” She smiled at him as she detailed the scarab's wings, “Besides, who could resist such rat-like charm?”

“If you weren't giving me a free tattoo right now I'd hit you so fast,” He groused, flicking her with his free hand so he could adjust more comfortably in his chair.

“How are you feeling about that job interview later?” She asked, switching to a fresh needle before she went back in, “Are ya nervous at all?”

“I feel fine about the actual interview it's just…” He paused, letting out a sigh and looking up at the ceiling, “Do you think Nines is gonna be mad if I get the job? I mean, bartending isn't necessarily the most upstanding job in the world. Especially bartending at a strip club,” He'd put a lot of thought into that when he'd applied there but at that point he was just getting desperate. Tina was, among many, many other things, far more likeable than he was, and he had to admit he felt a little shitty that he still hadn't been able to land a job. For Christ's sake, Tina hadn't just gotten a job, she'd landed a full on career, one she actually  _ loved _ , too. How the hell was he supposed to compete with that?

“You'll be fine hun, he'll be proud of whatever you do. Besides, it's not like you're gonna be one of the strippers,” She laughed reassuringly, setting Gavin at ease in the way she always did. She began working on the details of the face on the beetle's back, something that she herself had suggested. Gavin was keen to let her do whatever she wanted, it'd look sick no matter what she did and she'd be able to put her own mark on an otherwise boring ass tattoo. Sounded like a win in his playbook.

“God, can you imagine me being a stripper,” He barked with laughter, trying to imagine himself in a speedo grinding up against some bachelorette so drunk she wouldn't even remember what he looked like.

“I think you're too much of a twink to be a good stripper, like, aren't male strippers supposed to be like Greek gods?”

“I'm not a fuckin twink god damn it,” He bit back, annoyed that this particular conversation was such a common one between them, “And are you doubting my wicked hot bod, Ms. Chen?” He feigned offence, placing his free hand on his chest ever so daintily.

“Why of course not good sir,” She denied in an overly posh accent, looking offended that he'd even suggest such a thing.

“Whatever, finish the tattoo loser,” He rolled his eyes and she grinned at him, effortlessly breaking his carefully constructed air of annoyance. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry it's been so long, almost two months, since I posted, and this chapter isn't even 2k. In March I became the stage manager of a musical and also got a job, so i was getting really busy and was too tired to write. Then at the end of April, my boyfriend of three years broke up with me. We're still friends and are trying to make things work, but it's taken a massive toll on me and it's safe to say I don't feel in the right place to be writing romance, and even writing angst is incredibly taxing on me. I haven't even really been reading fanfics lately, barely even interacting with the fandom at all. I ask that you be patient with me while I try and navigate this, and know that these updates will be slow from now on. I want to finish this story but I truly do not know if I have it in me anymore. 
> 
> Thank you and I'm really sorry. I hope you at least enjoy this chapter, and I promise I'll keep trying to get it done.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave kudos if you enjoyed my work, and I always love reading comments so feel free to do that as well.
> 
> If you really enjoyed please consider supporting me on Ko-fi!! https://ko-fi.com/gardenvariety
> 
> Find me on Tumblr at cursedreed900 :))


End file.
